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REA^ISKr)     KX)I'l^lON. 


THE 

NATIONAL 

SECOND  READER: 

'  • '  C'o'iS  ■i'  A  i  N  i  N  G 

LESSONS   m  PUNCTlJA'ri6^';'AND  PROGfiESSIVE  AND  PLEASING 
EXERCISES  IN  READING,  ACCOMPANIED  WITH  SIMPLE  AND 
COMPREHENSIVE  DEFINITIONS  AND  THE  PRONUN- 
CIATION  OF  ALL  DOUBTFUL  WORDS. 

By  RICHABD  GREENE  PARKER 

AND 

J.  MADISON  WATSON. 


A.    S.   BARNES    &   COMPANY 
NEW  YORK  AND  CHICAGO. 

1869. 


Entered;  "a'<5cj)i3lfng  fo  Act  o!  Ooi^ress,  i-n,  the  y^^ar  1857,  by 
A.    8.    BARNES    &    CO., 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  Tork. 


EDUCAT^ION  DEPT, 


Electrotyped  by  Smith  &  McDougai^  82  «k  84  Beekman  Street,  New  York. 


PREFACE. 


THIS  volume,  though  designed  to  follow  "The 
Word-Builder,"  is  complete  in  itself,  and  may  be 
used  as  a  Second  Reader  in  any  series.  In  its  prep- 
aration, we  haye  aimed  to  adapt  the  exercises  and 
lessons  to  the  special  wants  of  the  pupil;  and,  while 
avoiding  a  feeble  and  puerile  style,  to  reconcile  sim- 
plicity with  pure  literary  taste.  Beginning  with  les- 
sons more  easy  than  some  at  the  close  of  the  pre- 
ceding work,  its  gradation  is  so  complete,  that  the 
learner,  almost  insensibly  overcoming  obstacles,  at 
its  close  will  be  thoroughly  prepared  for  the  suc- 
ceeding volume. 

In  Part  First,  a  few  simple  and  comprehensive 
reading  lessons  are  prepared,  to  amuse  and  interest 
the  pupil,  to  teach  him  the  names  of  the  points  used 
in  this  work,  and,  as  far  as  may  be,  give  him  a  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  punctuation  as  applied  to  reading. 

Articulation  and  Orthoepy  are  recognized  as  of 
primary  importance.  Complete  exercises  on  the 
elementary  sounds  and  their  combinations  are  so 
introduced  as  to  teach  but  one  element  at  a  time, 
and  to  apply  this  kngwledge^to^  use  as  soon  as  it 
IS  acquired. 


lowieoffe  to  us( 

M69862 


VI  PKErACE. 


Children,  in  first  attempting  to  read,  find  great 
difficulty  in  determining  the  correct  pronunciation 
of  the  separate  words.  As  usually  taught,  they  are 
of  necessity  so  intent  upon  this  that  they  almost 
wholly  lose  sight  of  the  connection,  sense,  and  sen- 
timent, and  thus  contract  vicious  habits,  which,  in 
most  instances,  remain  through  life.  To  avoid  this 
difficulty,  and  to  enable  pupils  to  read  understand- 
ingly  and  with  ease,  each  reading  lesson  is  preceded 
by  a  list  of  the  more  difficult  words,  arranged  for  a 
class  exercise  in  pronunciation. 

Clear  and  satisfactory  definitions  of  words  not  ea- 
sily understood  by  the  pupil,  as  well  as  all  necessary 
explanations,  are  given  on  the  pages  where  they  oc- 
cur. Another  feature  which  we  consider  of  espe- 
cial importance,  is  the  introduction  of  numerous 
dialogues  and  pieces  of  a  conversational  nature. 

As  most  of  the  lessons  are  original,  or  have  been 
rewritten  for  this  little  work,  a  list  of  the  names  of 
authors  is  deemed  unnecessary.  To  one  gentleman 
in  particular,  however,  the  authors  of  this  volume 
confess  themselves  much  indebted,  for  the  liberty  so 
freely  given  to  avail  themselves  of  his  labors.  We 
refer  to  T.  S.  Arthur,  Esq.,  whose  beautiful  tales 
and  stories  are  read  with  so  much  avidity  by  the 
rising  generation. 


CONTENTS 


PART    I. 

LESSON  PAGE 

1.— The  Period..  .^ 11 

II. — The  Interrogation  Point 13 

III. — The  Period  and  Interrogation  Point 15 

IV.— The  Exclamation  Point 17 

v.— The  CfoMMA 19 

VI.— The  Semicolon 21 

VII.— The  Colon , 23 

VIII. — Marks  and  Pauses 25 

PART    II. 

EXERCISES    IN    READING. 

pieces  in  prose. 

I.— The  New  Book 28 

II.— Spring 32 

III.— The  Girl  and  the  Fishes 34 

IV.— Speak  Kindly 37 

v.— The  Clock 38 

VI.— The  Clock— Concluded ^ 41 

VII.— Mary's  Kitten 44 

VIII.— Amy  Lee , 46 

IX.— Nellie 50 

X.— Don't  Kill  the  Birds 52 

XII.— The  Dog  and  his  Shadow 56 


VIU  CONTENTS. 


I.EB80N  PAGE 

XIII.— The  Snow-Birds  57 

XIV.— Gentle  Susy 60 

XV.— The  Dog  and  the  Donkey 63 

XVI.— The  Lamb 64 

XVII.— The  Lamb— Concluded 66 

XVIII.— Sour  Grapes 68 

XIX.— The  Picture-Book 71 

XX. — The  Generous  Children 74 

Table  op  the  Vowel  Elements,  or  Tonics.  77 

XXI.— Boasting 78 

XXII.— Little  Nell 80 

XXIIL— The  Broken  Watch 84 

XXIV.— Owls 87 

XXV. — Rich  and  Poor  Children 90 

XXVI.— Hugh  Miller 92 

XXVII.— A  Garden  overrun  with  Weeds 94 

XXVIII.— Grapes 98 

XXIX. — William  the  Conqueror 101 

XXX.— Birds  in  Winter 103 

XXXI.— The  First  Day  op  May 105 

XXXII.— The  Bat 108 

XXXIII.— Unjust  Blame Ill 

XXXIV.— The  Best  Jewels 113 

XXXVL— Little  Arthur  and  King  John.  . .  .* 118 

XXXVII.— Never  Play  the  Truant 121 

Table  op  Consonant  Elements — Subtonics.  123 

XXXVIIL— Young  Robinson 123 

XXXIX. — Young  Robinson — Continued 127 

XL.— Young  Robinson— Concluded 130 

XLI.— The  Eagle  and  the  Tortoise 132 

XLII.— Rabbits 135 


CONTENTS. 


IX 


LE880N  PAGE 

XLIII.— What  is  a  Bird  ? 138 

XLIV. — The  Little  Chinese  Boy 143 

XLV.— The  Little  Chinese  Boy— Concluded 145 

XL VI. — The  Wood-pigeon 147 

XLVIIL— Speak  Gently .^  153 

XLIX.— Ice-Houses 156 

L. — Take  Care  of  that  Wolf 159 

Table  of  Consonant  Elements— Atonies 161 

LI.— James  at  Home 163 

LII.— James  in  the  Country .-.  164 

LIII.— The  Humming-bird 168 

Exercise  in  Articulation — Subtonic  Combi- 
nations  ' 171 

LIV.— Maida,  the  Scotch  Greyhound 171 

LV. — Maida,  the  Scotch  Greyhound — Concluded. .  174 

LVI.— Automaton  Clarionet-Player 176 

LVII, — Automaton  Clarionet-Player — Continued. . .  178 
LVIII.— Automaton  Clarionet-Player— Concluded. ..  183 
Exercises    in    Articulation — Atonic  Combi- 
nations   186 

LX.— Calling  His  Sheep  by  Name 187 

LXI.— The  Echo 189 

LXIII.— The  Five  Senses 194 

LXIV.— The  Five  Senses— Concluded 197 

Exercise    in    Articulation  —  Subtonic   and 

Atonic  Combinations 199 

LXV.— Colors 199 

LXVI.— The  Blind  Asylum 303 

LXVIL— Laura  Bridgman 305 

Exercise  in  Articulation — Subtonic  and  Aton- 
ic Combinations 307 


COIS^TENTS. 


LESSON  PAGK 

LXVIII.— Mischief 207 

LXIX.— Mischief— Concluded 209 

LXX. — King  Edward  and  his  Bible 212 

Exercise    in    Articulation  —  Subtonic   and 

Atonic  Combinations 217 

LXXII.— Winter 218 

DIALOGUES. 

VIII.— Marks  and  Pauses 25 

XIII.— The  Snow-birds 58 

XXXIII.— Unjust  Blame Ill 

XLII.— Rabbits 135 

L.— Take  Care  of  that  Wolf 159 

PIECES    IN    VERSE. 

XI.— Don't  Kill  the  Birds 54 

XXXV.— The  Sorrowful  Yellow-bird 116 

XLVIL— The  Bird  set  Free 150 

LIX.— Faith  in  God 184 

LXII.— The  Violet— A  Fable 191 

LXXI.— The  Child  and  the  Skeptic 215 

LXXIII.— The  Children  at  the  Oak 221 


MARKS   AND    PAUSES, 


LESSON 


Les  son  (les'  sn),  something  to 

be  read,  or  learned. 
Let'  ter,  a  mark  used  to  show 

a  sound. 
No'  tice,  to  look  at  carefully. 


Per  haps',  by  chance 

Pe'  ri  od,  a  dot  at  the  end  of  a 

sentence. 
Understand',  to  know  the 

meaning  of. 


THE    PERIOD. 

^TT^OIJ  have  just  read  all  the  lessons  in  the 


X 


First  Reader.     In  those  lessons  you  read 


Note. — Pupils  should  frequently  be  required  to  pronounce  all 
the  words  of  the  Reading  Lesson  from  right  to  left,  commencing 
with  the  last  word  in  each  paragraph,  before  attempting  to  read 
them  in  the  usual  order. 


12  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 

letters  and  small  words ;  but  there  were  many 
little  marks ^  on  each  page,  that  you  did  not 
read,  nor,  perhaps,  notice. 

2.  In  all  books,  you  will  see  these  little  marks. 
They  are  not  letters  ;  but  they  are  almost  as 
useful  as  letters,  for  they  teach  the  meaning  of 
your  lessons. 

3.  These  marks  teach  you  when  to  pause,  or 
rests  in  reading^,  and  help  you  to  understand' 
what.ig  read. .  If,,  then,  you  do  not  leam  the 
use  Of  these  little 'm'arks,  you  will  never  be  able 
to  read  well. 

4.  I  will  now  teach  you  the  names  and  use 
of  some  of  these  little  marks,  or  points.  The 
first  one  I  wish  you  to  notice  is  a  little  round 
dot  like  this  .    It  is  called  a  Pe'  ri  od, 

5.  The  period  is  put  after  almost  every 
thing  that  is  said.  When  you  come  to  a  pe- 
riod, you  must  stop  and  rest.  You  must  let 
your  voice  fall,  as  though  you  had  nothing 
more  to  say. 

6.  John  is  a  good  boy. 

7.  John  and  Charles  are  good  boys. 

8.  Mary  is  a  kind  little  girl. 

9.  June  is  the  month  of  roses. 

10.  Mary  gave  a  white  rose  to  Kate. 

11.  A  red  rose  is  as  sweet  as  a  white  one. 


INTEEEOGATION    POINT. 


13 


12.  Grreen  leaves  are  on  tlie  trees. 

13.  Birds  sing  their  sweet  songs. 

14.  The  horse  and  ox  eat  the  green  grass. 

15.  Yon  must  stop  reading  at  each  period. 

16.  You  must  let  your  voice  fall  at  each  pe- 
riod. 

17.  You  may  count  the  periods  in  this   les- 
son. 

18.  Tell  yoijr  teacher  how  many  periods  there 
are  in  this  lesson. 


LESSON     II. 


Hay,  grass  cnt  and  dried  for 
fodder. 

Oats,  a  kind  of  grain  used  most- 
ly as  food  for  horses. 

Length,  distance  between  two 
points. 


Taught,  made  to  know. 

Fin  gers  (fing'  gerz),  extreme 

parts  or  ends  of  the  hand. 
Ques'  tion,     something    said 

that  requires  an  answer. 
In  ter  ro  ga'  tion,  a  question. 


THE     INTERROGATION     POINT." 

TN  the  last  lesson,  you  were  taught  what  the 
-■-  pe'  ri  od  is,  and  how  it  is  used.  In  this  les- 
son, I  wish  you  to  learn  the  name  and  use  of 
an  oth'  er  mark. 

2.  The  mark  which  you  are  to  notice  in  this 
lesson  is  of  this  shape  ?  You  see  it  is  made  by 
placing  a  little  crooked  mark  over  a  period. 


14  NATIOIS^AL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


3.  The  name  of  this  mark  is  the  Question 
MarTc^  because  it  is  always  put  after  a  question. 
Sometimes  it  is  called  by  a  longer  and  harder 
name.  The  long  and  hard  name  is  the  In  ter- 
ra ga'  tion  Point 

4.  When  you  come  to  a  question  mark,  you 
must  stop  and  rest.  If  the  question  may  be 
answered  by  yes  or  no,  your  voice  must  rise  on 
the  last  word  before  the  questioji  mark.  In 
this  lesson,  all  the  questions  may  be  answered* 
by  yes  or  no, 

5.  Can  you  read  your  lesson  well  ? 

6.  Can  you  read  the  long  and  hard  words  ? 

7.  Can  Charles  read  better  than  you  ? 

8.  Do  you  wish  to  be  at  the  head  of  your  class  ? 

9.  Have  you  ten  fingers  ? 

10.  Are  your  fingers  all  of  the  same  length  ? 

11.  Has  any  boy  or  girl  more  fingers  than  you 
have? 

12.  Does  the  sun  rise  in  the  west  ? 

13.  Can  a  lamb  fly  in  the  air  ? 

14.  Can  a  sheep  bark  like  a  dog  ? 

15.  Does  the  horse  like  hay  and  oats  ? 

16.  Do    you   know   the    name    of    this   little 
mark? 

17.  May  all  these    questions  be  answered  by 
yes  or  no  f 


PEEIOD    AND    INTERROGATION^.  15 

18.  Does  your  voice  rise  when  you  come  to 
the  question  mark,  in  this  lesson  ? 

19.  Can  you  tell  your  teacher  by  what  name 
the  question  mark  is  sometimes  called  ? 

20.  Can  you  tell  your  teacher  how  many  In- 
terrogation Points  there  are  in  this  lesson  ? 


LESSON     Ml. 


Cream,  the  oily  part  of  milk. 
Bought  (bawt),  got  by  money. 
Dis'  tant,  far  off. 
Man'  ner,  mode  ;  way. 
Prop'  er,  right ;  correct. 
Sup' per,  the  evening  meal. 


Pret  ty  (prif  ty),  pleasing  to 
the  eye. 

Sug  ar  (shug'  ar),  a  sweet  sub- 
stance. 

Co  coa-nut  (ko'  kS),  the  nut  or 
fruit  of  a  kind  of  palm-tree. 


THE   PERIOD   AND    INTERROGATION    POINT. 

"TTN  the  first  lesson,  you  were  told  that  the  voice 
-■-  must  fall  on  the  last  word  before  the  period. 
In  the  lesson  you  have  just  read,  you  were  told 
that  the  voice  must  rise  at  each  question  mark, 
when  the  question  may  be  answered  by  yes  or 
no. 

2,  In  questions  that  can  not  be  answered  by 
yes  or  no,  the  voice  must  fall  at  the  question 
mark.  Such  questions  must  be  read  in  the 
same  manner  as  you  would  read  periods. 

3.  In  this  lesson,   you  will  see  both  periods 


16  JS^ATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 

and  question  marks.  Some  of  the  questions 
may  Ibe  answered  'bj  yes  or  no;  and  to  some, 
yes  or  no  would  not  be  a  proper  answer. 

4.  Where  did  you  get  that  pretty  cap  ? 

5.  My  father  bought  it  for  me. 

6.  How  old  will  you  be  on  your  next  birth- 
day? 

7.  The  cow  gives  us  milk  for  our  supper. 

8.  Do  you  like  cream  and  sugar  \^  your  tea  % 

9.  Did  you  ever  see  a  nut  that  had  milk  in 
it? 

10.  The  cocoa-nut  is  full  of  mUk. 

11.  Cocoa-nuts 'grow  on  tall  trees  in  very  dis- 
tant lands. 

12.  They  are  brought  to  us  in  ships. 

13.  Did  you  ever  taste  a  cocoa-nut  cake  ? 

14.  How  many  periods  are  there  in  this  les- 
son? 

15.  Do  you  see  any  questions  in  this  lesson 
that  may  be  answered  by  yes  or  tw  ? 

16.  After  what  questions  must  the  voice  rise  ? 

17.  After  what  questions  must  the  voice  fall  ? 

18.  Does  the  voice  rise  or  fall  at  a  period  ? 

19.  How  many  questions  are  there  in  this  les- 
son? 

20.  How  many  questions  iQ  this  lesson  can  not 
be  answered  by  yes  or  no  ? 


EXCLAMATION    POINT.  17 


LESSON     IV. 


Strange,  that  wMch  is  new  to 

us. 
Voice,  sound  or  tone  coining 

from  the  mouth  of  man  or 

brute. 
In'  jured,  hurt  in  body. 
Breakfast    (brek' fast),    the 

morning  meal. 


Morn'  ing,  first  part  of  the  day. 

Hungry  (hung'gry),  greatly 
in  want  of  food. 

Tan  gled.  (tang'  gld),  twined  to- 
gether. 

De  lights',  gives  us  great  joy. 

Ex  cla  ma'  tion,  a  sudden  loud 
cry. 


THE    EXCLAMATION    POI  NT. 

rr^HE  Ex  cla  ma' tion  Point  is  a  mark  like 
^  this  !  When  you  see  something  that  is  very 
strange,  or  that  delights  or  pleases  yon  very 
mnch,  the  words  you  would  use  in  speaking  of 
it  should  have  the  mark  of  exclamation  after 
them. 

2.  If  a  little  hoy  fall  and  hreak  his  arm  or 
his  leg,  or  is  very  much  injured  in  any  way, 
what  he  says  should  have  this  mark  after  it. 

3.  In  this  lesson,  the  voice  should  fall  on  the 
last  word  before  this  mark,  and  you  should  rest 
for  a  short  time. 

4.  Tell  your  teacher  how  many  times  the 
exclamation  point  is  used  in  this  lesson,  and 
on  what  words  the  voice  falls. 

5.  What  a  fine  morning  it  is  !  How  brightly 
the  sun  shines  !  How  green  the  grass  is !  How 
sweetly  the  hrids  sing ! 


18 


NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 


6.  Why,  there  goes  a  little  rabbit!  How 
shy  it  is!  How  fast  it  runs!  Oh,  how  glad  I 
am  to  see  it ! 

7.  Dear  Mother!  What  a  cold  day  it  is! 
How  fast  it  snows!  How  thick  the  ice  is! 
How  the  poor  little  birds  must  suffer !  How 
hungry  they  must  be  ! 

8.  How  hot  the  fire  is !  How  black  the  cake 
is  burnt !  * 

9.  How  tired  I  am !  What  a  great  distance 
I  have  run  !    How  badly  I  have  torn  my  dress  ! 

10.  Oh,  how  hungry  I  am !  How  long  it 
seems  since  I  ate  my  breakfast!  How  long  it 
will  be  before  I  have  my  dinner ! 

11.  How  pretty  the  baby  looks!  Oh,  how 
dearly  I  love  him  !    What  a  pretty  child  he  is  ! 

12.  Ah,  you  careless  boy!  How  dirty  your 
hands  are !  How  much  they  need  washiag ! 
How  tangled  your  hair  looks  ! 


LESSON     V. 


Shaped,  formed;  made. 
Q-naw,  to  tear  with  the  teeth. 
Clothes,  covering  for  the  body. 
Scratch,  to  tear  with  the  nails. 
Friend,  one  who  wishes  ns  well. 
Cheese,  the  curd  of  milk  pressed 


Catch'  es,  takes  quick  hold  of. 
Chick'  ens,  the  young  of  hens 

and  other  fowls. 
Fur'  ther,  a  greater  distance. 
Be  sides',  in  addition  to. 
Ex  plain',  to  make  plain. 


THE    COMMA.  19 


THE    COMMA. 

"OESIDES  tlie  Period,  the  Interrogation  or 
-^-^  Question  Mark,  and  the  Exclamation  Point, 
there  is  another  little  mark  nsed  in  books.  It 
is  shaped  like  this  ,  and  it  is  called  the  Com'  ma. 

2.  The  Comma  is  often  nsed  in  places  where 
there  are  many  words  to  read  before  you  come 
to  a  period. 

3.  It  will  be  proper,  before  you  read  more 
about  the  comma,  to  explain  to  you  what  is 
meant  by  a  sentence. 

4.  The  words  which  stand  between  one  pe- 
riod, question,  or  exclamation,  and  another  pe- 
riod, question,  or  exclamation,  are  called  a  sen- 
tence if  they  ask  or  tell  something. 

5.  The  sentence  almost  always  ends  with  a 
period ;  and  the  sentence  itself  is  also  called  a 
period. 

6.  When  you  read  a  sentence  in  which  there 
is  a  comma,  you  may  stop  at  the  comma  a  very 
short  time,  to  take  breath. 

7.  You  must  try  to  read  every  thing  just  as 
you  would  say  it  if  you  had  no  book  before 
you,  and  you  were  saying  what  is  in  your  book 
to  some  of  your  friends. 

8.  Now,  you  may  read  the  sentences  that  fol- 


20  NATIOIS^AL    SECOND    EEADEK. 

low,  and  tell  your  teacher  how  many  commas 
there  are  in  each  sentence. 

9.  Tray  is  a  pretty,   kind,  and  gentle  little 
dog. 

10.  The  horse,  if  he  is  well  treated,  is  very 
kind  and  useful. 

11.  The  cat  will  scratch  with  her  sharp  claws, 
and  hurt  you  very  much,  if  you  trouble  her. 

12.  The  dog  does  not  scratch,  like  a  cat,  but, 
when  he  is  angry,  he  bites. 

13.  The  cow,  when  she  is  cross,  will  some- 
times toss  the  dog  into  the  air  with  her  long 
horns,  if  he  bark  at  her. 

14.  The  cat  catches  mice  and  rats,  when  they 
come  out  of  their  holes,  by  night  or  by  day,  to 
gnaw  the  cheese,  the  bread,  the  cake,  or  other 
things. 

15.  What  boy,  in  this  class,  did  not  study  his 
lesson,  because  it  was  too  long  ? 

16.  Where  is  the  boy,  but  nine  years  old,  who 
can  run  faster,  jump  further,  or  swim  better, 
than  James  Bruce  ? 

17.  Will  the  little  white  mouse,  the  cross  dog, 
the  sly  cat,  and  the  pet  bird  all  play  in  the 
same  room  ? 

18.  If  the  old  hen  and  her  chickens  could  live 
in  the  water,  if  the  little  fishes  could  live  on 


THE    SEMICOLON.  21 

land,  if  little  boys  and  girls  could  fly  in  the  air, 
should  we  not  think  it  very  strange  1 

19.  In  the  morning,  as  soon  as  you  rise  from 
your  bed,  wash  your  face  and  your  hands,  comb 
your  hair,  brush  your  teeth,  clean  your  finger- 
nails, brush  your  clothes,  and,  when  you  are  all 
neat  and  clean,  kneel  down  by  the  side  of  your 
bed,  and  say  your  prayers  to  the  great  and 
good  God,  who  made  you. 


LESSON     VI. 


Wolves,  fierce  wild  beasts. 
Hawks,    fierce,    blood-thirsty 

birds. 
Sleigh,  a  vehicle  on  runners  to 

slide  over  the  snow  or  ice. 


Cru'  el,  giving  pain  to  others. 
De  scribed',  explained. 
In'  no  cent,  not  hurtful. 
Ve'  hi  Cle,  that  on  which  any 
person  or  thing  is  carried. 


THE    SEMICOLON. 

rp^HIS  mark  is  called  the  Sem^  i  co  Ion ;    You 
-^    see  it  is  made  by  placing  a  period  over  a 
comma. 

2.  When  you  come  to  a  semicolon  in  read- 
ing, you  may  make  a  longer  pause  than  when 
you  come  to  a  comma. 

3.  In  the  sentences  that  follow,  you  will  find 
all  the  marks  I  have  now  described  to  you,  and 
I  hope  you  will  try  to  use  them  as  you  have 
been  taught. 


22  NATIOI^AL    SECOND    READEE. 

4.  In  cold  weather,  children  sometimes  go 
to  school  in  sleighs ;  and  then  they  have  fine 
fun,  and  laugh,  and  shout,  as  they  are  drawn 
swiftly  over  the  snow. 

5.  When  school  is  out,  they  play  with  their 
sleds ;  or,  perhaps,  go  on  the  river  or  the  pond 
to  skate  ;  and  then  they  do  not  seem  to  care  for 
the  cold,  nor  the  snow,  nor  the  ice. 

6.  Dear  father,  do  look  out  of  the  window, 
and  see  how  fast  the  snow  falls !  It  has  cov- 
ered the  tops  of  the  houses ;  it  has  bent  down 
the  branches  of  the  trees ;  it  has  blown  under 
the  cracks  of  the  door,  and  it  seems  as  if  the 
air  is  full  of  snow. 

7.  See,  mother,  see  the  big  moon,  and  the 
pretty  little  stars !  I  think  the  moon  is  the 
little  stars'  mother.  'No,  my  dear,  the  stars  are 
much  larger  than  the  moon;  but  they  are  so 
far  off,  that  they  look  smaller  than  they  are. 

8.  AVhen  it  is  cloudy,  in  the  night,  we  can  not 
see  the  moon  and  stars  ;  and  then  it  is  very 
dark. 

9.  How  fast  the  rain  is  falling!  The  cows, 
the  horses,  and  the  sheep  have  gone  into  the 
barn  to  get  out  of  the  storm ;  and  the  dog  is 
pawing  the  door,  to  ask. leave  to  come  in  and 
dry  himself  by  the  kitchen  fire. 


THE    COLON.  23 


10.  Good  an'  imals  are  in'  no  cent  and  nsefal ; 
but  evil  animals  are  cruel  and  hurtful. 

11.  Sheep,  and  cows,  and  doves  are  good  an- 
imals ;  but  wolves,  and  bears,  and  hawks  are 
evil  animals. 

12.  Can  you  count  the  semicolons  in  this  les- 
son, and  tell  your  teacher  how  many  there  are  ? 


LESSON     VII 


Ti'  ny,  very  small. 

Up'  right,  straight  up  ;  erect. 

Pleas'  ant,  that  which  causes 

agreeable  feelings. 
Mead'  OW,  a  grass  field  from 

which  hay  is  cut. 
Ceil'ing,  the  upper  covering 

of  a  room. 


Spark' le,   to    shine    with   a 

bright  changing  light. 
Re  cite',  to  say  aloud. 
Re  quest',  a  favor  asked. 
Afraid',  filled  with  fear. 
Ap  pear',  to  come  into  view. 
Al  lowed',  granted;  permitted. 
Dis  tinct'  ly,  plainly. 


THE    COLON. 

rri  HEE.E  is  one  more  mark  that  I  wish  to  show 
-^    you :  it  is  the  Co'  Ion.     The  colon  is  made 
by  placing  one  period  over  another,  like  this  : 

2.  The  colon  is  not  seen  so  often  in  books  as 
the  semicolon;  hut  if  you  see  one  when  you 
are  reading,  you  may  rest  longer  at  it  than  you 
would  stop  at  a  semicolon. 

3.  A  little  boy  is  by  no  means  to  be  allowed 
to  do  as  he  pleases :  he  must  mind  what  is  said 
to  him :   he  must  try  to  please  his  father  and 


24  NATIONAL    SECOND    KeadeK. 

motlier  :  he  must  be  kind  and  pleasant  to  every 
one :  he  should  treat  others,  as  he  would  wish 
that  they  should  treat  him. 

4.  The  grass  grows  in  the  green  meadow : 
the  leaves  appear  on  the  trees:  the  blossoms 
are  all  open :  the  weather  is  mild  and  warm. 

5.  Learn  your  lessons  well :  study  them  a 
long  time:  be  careful  to  read  the  words  cor- 
rect' ly ;  and,  when  you  recite  your  lessons, 
speak  clearly,  distinct'  ly,  and  loudly. 

6.  You  have  said  in  your  joy :  I  avlLL  study 
my  lesson :  I  will  spell  all  the  hard  words  :  I 
will  learn  the  names  of  all  the  marks:  I  will 
read  as  though  I  were  talking :  I  will  stand  at 
the  head  of  my  class. 

7.  One  day,  a  good  little  girl,  whose  name  is 
Anna  Smith,  learned  these  lines,  at  the  request 
of  her  teacher : 

8.  I  see,  my  little  fly,  your  wings. 

That  sparkle  in  the  sun  : 
I  see  your  legs,  what  tiny  things ! 
And  yet  how  fast  they  run  I 

9.  You  walk  along  the  ceiling  now, 

And  down  the  upright  wall : 
I'll  ask  mamma  to  tell  me  how 
You  walk  and  do  not  fall 

10.    I'll  near  you  stand,  to  see  you  play 
But  do  not  be  afraid  : 
I  would  not  lift  my  little  hand 
To  hurt  what  God  has  made. 


MAEK8    AND    PAUSES. 


25 


LESSON     VIM. 


Pause,  a  stop. 

Curved,  formed  into  a  curve 
bent. 


Point,  the  sharp  end  of  any 

thing ;  a  mark. 
E  nough  (e  niif ),  plenty. 


MARKS    AND    PAUSES. 

Teacher.  I  will  now  ask  some  questions  alDout 
the  marks  nsed  in  reading.  In  the  lessons  yon 
have  just  read,  you  were  told  the  names  and 
use  of  these  marks.  If  you  attend  to  what  I  say, 
I  think  you  will  be  ahle  to  answer  all  my  ques- 


26  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 

tions.  Charles,  what  is  the  name  and  use  of  the 
little  curved  dot  you  see  on  the  blackboard  ? 

Charles,  That  little  curved  dot  is  called  a 
comma.  It  is  used  to  mark  the  shortest  pause. 
When  I  come  to  a  comma  in  reading,  I  may 
stop  and  rest  for  a  short  time. 

Teacher,  That  is  right,  Charles.  You  may 
tell  me,  Mary,  which  of  the  marks  is  called  the 
semicolon^  and  what  it  shows. 

Mary,  The  semicolon  is  a  comma  with  a  little 
round  dot  over  it.  The  semicolon  shows  a 
pause  that  is  usually  twice  as  long  as  that  of  a 
comma. 

Teacher.  Emma,  you  may  tell  me  all  you 
know  of  the  next  mark  you  see  on  the  board. 

Emma,  The  next  mark  is  two  dots,  one  over 
the  other:  it  is  called  the  colon.  The  colon 
shows  a  longer  pause  than  the  semicolon. 
When  reading,  1  may  rest  at  a  colon  enough 
longer  than  at  a  semicolon  to  say  and. 

Teacher.  William,  you  may  tell  me  the  name 
and  use  of  this  little  round  dot. 

William.  It  is  a  period.  When  I  come  to  a 
period,  I  must  stop,  as  if  I  had  done  reading. 
My  voice  must  fall  at  a  period,  and  I  must  rest 
longer  than  at  a  colon.  The  period  is  placed 
at  the  end  of  a  sentence. 


MARKS    AND    PAUSES.  27 

Teacher.  Anna,  can  you  tell  what  a  sentence 
is? 

Anna,  The  words  that  are  used  to  ask  or  to 
tell  something  are  called  a  sentence.  The  sen- 
tence almost  always  ends  with  a  period  ;  and  it 
is  sometimes  called  a  period. 

Teacher,  If  I  say,  The  good  hoy,  are  these 
three  words  a  sentence  ? 

Anna.  No,  sir.     They  do  not  tell  us  any  thing. 

Teacher.  James,  if  I  say,  The  good  hoy  studies, 
are  these  four  words  a  sentence  ? 

James.  Yes,  sir.  They  tell  us  something. 
They  tell  us  what  the  good  boy  does. 

Teacher.  Very  well,  James :  can  you  tell  the 
name  and  use  of  this  crooked  mark  ? 

James.  It  is  the  interrogation  point,  or  ques- 
tion marlc,  and  it  is  always  placed  after  a  ques- 
tion. If  the  question  may  be  answered  by  yes 
or  no,  the  voice  must  rise  at  the  interrogation 
point.  If  the  question  can  not  be  answered  by 
yes  nor  no,  the  voice  must  fall  at  this  point. 

Teacher.  You  may  tell  me,  Charles,  what  you 
know  of  the  last  mark  on  the  board. 

Charles.  The  name  of  the  last  mark  on  the 
board  is  the  exclamation  point.  I  must  rest  at 
that  point ;  and,  when  it  is  placed  at  the  end  of 
a  sentence,  my  voice  must  fall. 


EXERCISES   IN   READING 


LESSON     I. 


Stream,  running  water. 
Some' times,  now  and  then. 
In'  sect,  a  very  small  animal. 
Plot'  lire,  a  likeness  of  a  thing. 
Past' lire,  a  field  where  cattle 

graze,  or  feed  on  grass. 
Pro  nounce',to utter ;  to  speak 


De  pends',  trusts ;  leans  on. 
At  tend',  to  notice  carefully. 
E  vening  (e'  vn  ing),  the  close 

of  the  day. 
Beau'  ti  ful,  very  pleasing  to 

the  eye. 
Re  mem'  ber,  to  keep  in  mind. 


THE    NEW    BOOK. 

ONE  fine  morning,  in  the  month  of  June,  a  lit- 
tle boy,  by  the  name  of  John  True,  was 
seen  going  to  school,  with  his  sister  Mary. 

2.  He  was  a  very  good  little  boy,  and  his  sis- 
ter was  also  a  very  kind  girl ;  but  she  was  larger 
and  older  than  her  brother. 


THE    NEW    BOOK. 


29 


3.  Though  they  lived  a  great  way  from  the 
school-house,  you  will  see,  if  you  look  at  the 
picture  below,  that  it  was  a  very  pleasant  walk. 


4.  On  the  left  side  of  the  road,  there  is  a  fine 
stream  of  clear,  cold  water.  Sometimes  they 
would  stand  on  the  bridge  that  passes  over  the 
stream,  and  watch  the  little  fishes  playing  in 
the  water. 

5.  The  little  fishes  would  sometimes  spring 
up  from  the  water,  to  catch  flies,  or  other  in- 


30  I^ATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

sects.  Sometimes  they  would  chase  one  an- 
other in  the  stream,  or  turn  over  and  over,  and 
show  their  bright  little  fins,  that  sparkled  like 
silver  or  gold. 

6.  You  see,  on  the  right  side  of  the  road, 
some  very  fine  trees.  Here  the  little  birds 
built  their  nests ;  and,  every  morning  and  even- 
ing, John  and  Mary  could  hear  them  singing 
their  sweet  songs. 

7.  The  cows  and  sheep  used  to  come  from 
the  pasture  to  drink;  and,  on  warm  days,  the 
cows  would  stand  in  the  water,  under  that  large 
tree  near  the  stream. 

8.  John  was  very  happy  this  morning,  though 
he  had  not  once  thought  of  these  beautiful 
things.  What  do  you  think  made  him  so 
happy  ?    I  will  tell  you. 

9.  He  had  been  to  school  during  all  the  cold 
weather,  and  had  tried  so  hard  to  learn  to  read, 
that  he  had  read  all  the  lessons  in  the  Word- 
Builder,  and  could  spell  the  words  in  it,  with- 
out looking  at  his  book. 

10.  You  see,  in  the  picture,  he  has  a  book  in 
his  hand.  It  is  a  new  book.  His  father  bought 
it  for  him  the  day  before,  and  his  class  were  to 
read  the  first  lesson  in  it  this  morning. 

11.  It  was  a  very  pretty  book.     Its  name  you 
L — . . 


THE    NEW    BOOK.  31 

can  see  on  the  back  of  the  Ibook  yon  hold  in 
yonr  hand,  for  his  book  was  jnst  like  yonrs. 

12.  It  was  the  new  book,  then,  that  made 
John  so  happy.  As  he  was  thinking  of  it,  he 
asked  his  sister  Mary  how  long  it  wonld  be  be- 
fore he  conld  read  all  the  lessons  in  his  new 
book,  and  have  another  Reader. 

13.  My  dear  brother,  said  his  sister,  that  de- 
pends on  yourself.  If  yon  study  your  lessons 
with  care,  see  how  the  words  are  spelled,  and 
attend  to  what  yonr  teacher  says,  you  will  soon 
be  able  to  read  all  the  lessons  in  your  new  book. 

14.  I  hope,  my  young  reader,  that  you  will 
remember  what  Mary  said  to  her  little  brother. 
If  you  study  your  lessons  with  great  care,  and 
learn  to  pronounce  and  spell  all  the  hard  words, 
you  will  soon  be  able  to  read  all  the  lessons  in 
this  book,  and  then  you  can  have  a  new  one. 


ARTICU  LATION. 
a  or  a. 

age,         ^pe,         bale ;        bathe,      cage,  cave ; 

dale,        dame,      flake ;      flame,      gate,  gave ; 

haste,       hate,        lake ;       make,      rage,  same ; 

save,        tale,         tape;       vale,        wake,  wave. 

Note. — Letters  representing  the  element  taught  in  each  exercise 
in  Articulation,  wherever  they  occur  in  reading  lessons  immedi- 
ately succeeding,  are  printed  in  italics. 


32 


NATIONAL    SECOND    READER. 


LESSON       I 


Spring,  first  season  of  tlie  year. 

Boughs,  branches  of  trees. 

Li'  lac,  a  flowering  shrub. 

Bios'  soms,  flowers  of  plants. 

Ma'  pie,  name  of  a  forest  tree 

Snow'-drop,  an  early  spring 
plant  bearing  white  flowers. 

Pat'  ter,  to  strike  with  a  quick 
succession  of  small  sounds. 

Gar  den  (gar'dn),  ground  care- 
fully cultivated. 


Win' ter,  last  season  of  the  year 
Cro'  CUS,  a  beautiful  plant  that 

blossoms  early  in  spring. 
Pur'  pie,  a  color  made  of  blue 

and  red, — most  red. 
Fro  zen  (fro'  zn),  hardened  by 

cold. 
But'ter-cups,   small    yellow 

flowers. 
Vi'  o  let,  a  color  made  of  red 

and  blue, — most  blue. 


S 


SPRING 

PRINGr  has  come.     The  s5ffc,  rich  rains  have 
melted  the  snow  and  ice  of  winter.      The 


SPEING.  33 


water  in  the  frozen  brook  and  river  is  now  set 
free. 

2.  Tlie  red  blossoms  of  the  maple,  and  the 
white  blossoms  of  the  dog-wood,  have  appeared. 
The  buds  npon  the  lilac  have  swelled  and  burst, 
and  their  sweet  odor  scents  the  air.  The  white 
blossoms  of  the  cherry-tree  hang  upon  its 
boughs,  like  snow-flakes. 

3.  The  white  snow-drop,  the  yellow  and  pur- 
ple crocus,  and  the  blue  violet,  have  appeared; 
and  now  the  May  flowers  open  their  soft  blue 
eyes. 

4.  The  songs  of  the  birds  are  heard  in  the 
garden  and  the  wood ;  the  little  lambs  skip  and 
play  in  the  green  pastures ;  and  the  busy  bees 
are  gathering  their  honey. 

5.  Men  are  at  work  in  the  gardens  and  the 
fields ;  and  the  fresh  earth  sends  up  a  pleasant 
smell. 

6.  Children  are  let  loose  in  the  fields  and 
gardens.  They  walk  upon  the  green  grass,  and 
pick  the  early  fiowers.  They  hold  butter-cups 
under  each  others'  chins,  in  play,  to  see  whether 
they  like  butter. 

7.  The  dewy  evening  comes  on.  There  are 
no  clouds  in  the  blue  sky.  The  moon  and  stars 
shine  with  a  s6ft  and  clear  light.     All  is  still. 


34  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

There  is  not  a  breath  of  wind  ;  no  hum  of  bees ; 
no  song  of  birds ;  not  a  sound  upon  the  earth, 
or  in  the  air. 

8.  If  there  are  clouds  in  the  sky,  there  will 
be  no  wild  storm  of  wind  and  rain.  The  warm 
drops  of  the  gentle  shower  will  patter  on  the 
roof,  like  the  light  tread  of  your  little  brother 
or  sister's  feet.  You  will  not  wish  to  sleep  ; 
but  you  will  lie  awake  to  hear  the  pleasant 
sound  of  the  dropping  rain. 


ARTICULATION. 


a 

or  a 

at, 

act, 

ash; 

brad, 

b&de. 

br&nd ; 

cMm, 

clamp, 

clash ; 

damp. 

dank, 

dash; 

Mmp, 

Mnd, 

llsh; 

r^nk. 

rant. 

rash ; 

samp, 

8^sh, 

scant ; 

van, 

vMve, 

v&mp. 

LESSON     III 

Edge,  border ;  brink. 

Tame  (tim),  not  wild  or  fierce. 

Piec'  es,  parts. 

Tur'  tie,  a  four  footed  animal, 

covered  with  a  shell. 
Se  cure',  to  keep  safely. 


Af  fee'  tion,  love  ;  kinndess. 

Ve'  lii  cle,  that  on  which  any 
person  or  thing  is  carried. 

Car'  riag  es,  vehicles  on  wheels 

Great  ures  (kr^f  yerz),  ani- 
mals of  any  kind. 


THE    GIRL    AND    FISHES. 


35 


THE    GIRL    AND    THE    FISHES. 

TN"  a  town  near  Boston,  there  once  stood  a 
^  small  house,  close  by  the  side  of  a  river.  A 
little  girl  lived  in  this  house,  with  her  father 
and  mother. 

2.  This  was  a  very  kind  little  girl.  Everyday 
she  used  to  take  some  bits  of  bread,  and  go  near 
the  edge  of  the  river,  and  call  "  Turtle,  turtle." 

3.  A  number  of  turtles  would  swim  to  the 
place  where  she  was,  and  catch  the  pieces  of 
bread  she  threw  into  the  water,  or  take  them 
out  of  her  hand. 

4.  When  ihe  little  fishes  saw  how  kind  and 


36  J^ATIONAL    SECOND    READER. 

gentle  she  was,  and  that  she  did  them  no  harm, 
they  would  also  come  and  eat  the  crumbs  of 
bread. 

5.  The  turtles  and  fishes  soon  became  so 
tame,  that  she  could  put  her  hands  into  the 
water  and  take  hold  of  them. 

6.  People  came  many  miles  in  their  carriages 
to  see  the  little  girl  feed  the  fishes  and  turtles. 
She  was  so  gentle  and  kind,  that  the  little 
creatures  had  no  fear  of  her.  They  would 
crowd  around  her  hands  in  the  water,  and  take 
the  bread  from  her  fingers. 

7.  You  see,  from  this  lesson,  how  much  may 
be  done  by  kindness.  The  little  boy  or  girl 
that  is  kind  to  others,  will  always  have  friends. 
By  kindness  to  dogs,  horses,  and  other  animals, 
you  may  always  secure  their  affection  ;  and,  as 
you  have  seen,  even  turtles  and  fishes  may  be 
tamed  by  kindness. 


ARTICULATION. 

L 

hrch,        ^rm,         hrt;  bird,        bl,rge,  bark; 

d^rn,        dl,rt,  fhr ; 

h5,rm,       ^^^'g^j  h'li'k ; 

pto,         sm^rt,  stS-rch. 


clird,  c^rve,  d^rk 
&m,  h^rd,  h^rk 
m^rch,     m^rk,       -phrk 


SPEAK    KINDLY.  37 


LESSON     IV 


Harsh,  rougli ;  severe. 
Grieved,  pained  in  mind. 
Bruised,  cruslied  by  a  blow. 


Scarce'  ly,  hardly. 
Mind'  ed,  cared  for. 
Wound'  ed,  cut ;  injured. 


Rough  ly  (ruf  ly),  ill-naturedly.    Sin  gle  (sing'  gl),  one  ;  alone. 
SPEAK    KINDLY. 

SPEAK  kindly  to  your  brotlier,  Henry :  kind 
words  are  as  easily  said  as  liarsli  ones. 

2.  See!  there  are  tears  in  little  Charley's 
eyes.  It  was  but  a  moment  since  that  his  hap- 
py laugh  filled  the  whole  room. 

3.  ^re  you  not  grieved,  my  boy,  that  a  sin- 
gle word,  roughly  spoken  by  you,  should  have 
chased  the  sunshine  from  that  sweet  little  face  ? 
I  am  sure  you  are. 

4.  There,  now  his  tears  have  all  gone,  and 
his  dear  little  arms  are  around  your  neck. 
Never  speak  harshly  to  him  again,  Henry  ;  nor, 
indeed,  to  any  one. 

5.  Kind  words  are  easily  spoken,  and  they  do 
good  to  all ;  while  angry  words  hurt  as  badly 
as  blows  ;  and,  sometimes,  a  great  deal  worse. 

6.  Words  hurt  as  badly  as  blows  1  Oh,  yes  ; 
and,  as  I  have  just  said,  a  great  deal  worse. 

7.  I  have  seen  a  little  boy,  who  scarcely  ever 


38 


NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


minded  a  fall,  even  thongh  his  flesh  was  some- 
times bruised,  or  wounded,  weep,  as  il'  his  heart 
would  break,  at  an  unkind  word.  Speak  kindly 
to  each  other,  then,  my  children. 


ARTICULATION 

^ 

dll, 

hdll, 

b41d ;       chdlk, 

fdll, 

mse ; 

^•all, 

hMl, 

hdlt ;        mdlt. 

salt, 

scMd ; 

StMl, 

swath 

tall ;         tilk. 

thrill. 

wall ; 

wdlk, 

wdrm, 

wdrd ;      warn, 

want, 

w4rp. 

LESSON     V. 

Bars,  strips  ;  narrow  pieces. 
Slim,  tliin  ;  slender  and  long. 
Clock,  a  large  time-piece  whicli 
marks  the  hour  of  the  day. 


Point'  ing,  marking*  out. 
Fig  Tires      (fig'  yerz),     marks 

standing  for  numbers. 
Din'ner,  second  meal  of  the  day. 


THE    CLOCK 

rr^HE  clock  is  a  very 
-*-  useful  thing.   It  tells 
the  time  of  the  day,  and 
of  the  night. 

2.  We  wish  to  know 
at  what  time  to  rise  in 
the  morning,  at  what 
time  to  take  our  break- 


THE    CLOCK. 


39 


fast,  at  what  time  to  go  to  school,  at  what  time 
to  go  home  from  school,  at  what  time  to  have 
our  dinner  and  our  supper,  and  when  it  is  time 
to  go  to  hed. 

3.  This  is  what  a  clock  or  a  watch  will  tell  us. 

4.  But  how  can  the  clock  tell  us  the  time? 
The  clock  can  not  speak. 

5.  Oh,  no,  the  clock  can  not  speak;  but  the 
clock  can  tell  us  the  time  by  pointing  to  it. 


6.  If  your  little  brother  should  ask  you  where 
his  ball  is,  and  you  should  point  to  the  floor, 
under  the  table,  with  your  finger,  that  would 
be  telling  him,  without  speaking. 

7.  So  the  clock  tells  the  hours,  by  pointing 
to  them,  without  speaking. 

8.  The  clock  has  no  fingers  to  point  with  ; 


40 


NATIOIS^AL    SECOKD    EEADER. 


but  it  has  two  long  and  slim  bars,  wliich  we  call 
its  hands,  which  I  shall  show  you  in  this  picture. 


9.  In  the  picture,  you  see  the  round  face  of 
the  clock,  with  its  two  hands  pointing  at  the 
figures,  which  are  all  around  the  face. 

10.  The  figures  stand  for  numbers,  and  there 
are  twelve  of  them  on  the  face  of  the  clock. 
These  numbers  are  sometimes  made  with  fig- 
ures, and  sometimes  with  letters. 

11.  Here  are  the  numbers,  made  both  with 
letters  and  with  figures,  which  you  must  read 
before  I  can  tell  you  any  thing  more  about  the 
clock. 


One  . 
Two  . 
Three 
Four 
Five  . 
Six    . 


I 

Seven    .  . 

II 

Eight     .  . 

III 

Nine  .  .  . 

ly 

Ten.  .  .  . 

V 

Eleven  .  . 

yi 

Twelve  .  . 

7 
8 
9 

10 
11 
12 


yii 
yiii 

IX 
X 
XI 
XII 


THE    CLOCK. 


41 


LESSON     VI. 


Hour,  the  24th  part  of  a  day. 
Quar'  ter,  fourth  partof  a  thing. 
Minute  (min'it),  the  sixtieth 
part  of  an  hour. 


Be  cause',  for  the  reason. 
Con  clud'  ed,  ended ;  finished. 
Ex  act  ly  (egz  Sikt'  ly),  precise- 
ly ;  just  the  thing. 


THE    CLOCK 


;luclecl. 


npHE  clock  has  two  hands,  a  long  one  and  a 
^     short  one.     The  short  hand  is  the  hour- 
hand,  and  the  long  one  is  the  minute-hand. 

2.  The  short  hand,  or  hour-hand,  moves  very 
slowly ;  and  the  long  hand,  or  minute-hand,  goes 
all  around  the  face  of  the  clock,  while  the  hour- 
hand  goes  from  one  figure  to  the  next  one. 


3.  In  this  picture,  you  see  that  the  hour-hand 
points  to  the  number  one,'  and  the  minute-hand 
points  to  twelve.  It  is  now  exactly  one  o'clock, 
by  this  clock. 

4.  When  the  minute-hand  points  to  twelve, 
the  hour-hand  always  points  to  the  hour  of  the 


42  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

day,  and  it  is  exactly  tliat  hour  at  wMch  the 
hour-hand  points. 

5.  It  would  be  very  easy  to  tell  what  o'clock 
it  is,  if  we  had  to  tell  only  the  houi*,  because 
the  hour-hand  points  to  the  hour. 

6.  But,  to  tell  the  time  exactly,  we  must  look 
at  the  minute-hand,  as  well  as  the  hour-hand, 
and  see  where  the  minute-hand  is. 

7.  When  the  minute-hand  points  to  the  fig- 
ure one,  it  is  ^ye  minutes  past  the  hour  at  which 
the  hour-hand  points. 

8.  When  the  minute-hand  is  at  the  figure 
two,  it  is  ten  minutes  past  the  hour. 

9.  When  the  minute-hand  is  at  three,  it  is 
fifteen  minutes,  or  a  quarter,  past  the  hour  at 
which  the  hour-hand  points. 

10.  When  the  minute-hand  is  at  four,  it  is 
twenty  minutes  past  the  hour. 

11.  When  the  minute-hand  is  at  five,  it  is 
twenty-five  minutes  past  the  hour. 

12.  When  the  minute-hand  is  at  six,  it  is  thirty 
minutes,  or  half-past  the  hour,  and  the  hour- 
hand  has  reached  half  way  to  the  next  hour. 

13.  When  the  minute-hand  is  at  seven,  it  then 
wants  twenty -five  minutes  of  the  next  hour; 
that  is,  the  hour  to  which  the  hour-hand  is 
nearest. 


THE    CLOCK. 


43 


14.  When  the  minute-hand  is  at  eight,  it  then 
wants  twenty  minutes  of  the  next  hour. 

15.  When  the  minute-hand  is  at  nine,  it  wants 
a  quarter  of  that  next  hour. 

16.  When  the  minute-hand  is  at  ten,  it  wants 
ten  minutes  of  that  next  hour. 


17.  When  the  minute-hand  is  at  eleven,  it 
then  wants  five  minutes  of  the  hour  to  which 
the  hour-hand  is  nearest. 

18.  And  when  the  minute-hand  is  again  at 
twelve,  it  is  exactly  the  hour  at  which  the  hour- 
hand  points. 

19.  Now,  see  whether  you  can  tell  what  o'clock 
it  is  loy  the  three  clocks  in  the  picture  above. 


bare, 

glare, 

scare. 


ARTICU  LATION. 

a. 
care,        cha^r ;       dare,       fare, 


flare 


hare. 


snare 


la^'r ; 
spare ; 


mare,      pare,       rare ; 
stare,       tare,        ware. 


Note. — The  fifth  element,  or  sound,  represented  by  a,  is  its 
first,  or  alphabetic  sound,  modified  or  softened  by  r. 


44  NATIONAL    SECOND    BEADER. 


LESSON     VII 


Mewed,  made  the  cry  of  a  cat. 
Pleas'  ant,  agreeable. 
Play'  ful,  full  of  play  or  fun. 
Pret  ty   (prit'ty),   pleasing    to 
tlie  eye 


A  pron  (i'  pern),  a  cover  for 
the  front  part  of  the  dress. 

Tow'  el,  a  cloth  used  for  wiping 
the  hands  and  other  things. 

In  stead',  in  place  of. 


Pret'ty  soon,  in  a  short  time.   Mis'  chiev  ous,  doing  injury. 
MARY'S     KITTEN. 

T"  ONCE  knew  a  little  girl  named  Mary.  She 
-^  liad  a  little  kitten  that  had  blue  eyes,  and 
was  all  wliite  except  the  tip  of  its  tail  and  one 
paw,  which  were  black. 

3.  The  kitten  loved  Mary  very  much.  Every 
morning  she  would  come  to  her  door,  and,  when 
it  was  opened,  she  would  run  in  and  jump  on 
her  bed,  and  pur,  and  rub  her  face  against 
Mary's  cheek,  as  if  to  say,  ''Good-morning  !" 

3.  She  was  a  playful  little  kitten,  too.  When 
Mary  was  dressing,  she  would  run  after  her,  and 
play  with  her  shoe-ties,  so  that  sometimes  Mary 
was  not  dressed  when  the  breakfast-bell  was  rung. 

4.  One  day,  Mary  went  to  see  her  aunt,  and, 
on  her  return  home,  she  could  not  find  her  kit- 
ten. She  called  all  over  the  house,  but  the  kitten 
did  not  come.  "Oh,  mother!"  said  she,  "I 
fear  my  kitten  is  lost." 

5.  Her  mother  opened    the  cellar-door,   and 


maey's  kitten.  45 

called  "Kitty,  kitty!"  In  a  moment,  a  little 
kitten  came  running  up  the  sta^rs.  As  soon  as 
Mary  saw  her,  she  began  to  cry,  and  said,  "This 
is  not  my  kitten :  my  kitten  is  all  white,  and 
this  one  is  all  black." 

6.  And,  snre  enough,  the  little  mischievous 
creature  had  been  among  the  coal,  and  was  so 
full  of  the  black  coal-dust,  that  you  would  have 
thought  she  had  never  been  white.  Mary's 
mother  laughed,  as  she  said,  "Kitty  is  some- 
thing like  my  little  girl.  When  she  is  cross,  I 
say,  *  That  is  not  my  little  Mary,  for  my  little 
girl  is  pleasant,  and  this  little  girl  is  cross.'  Let 
Susan  wash  kitty,  and  perhaps  she  will  be  white 
again." 

7.  Susan  brought  a  pail  of  water  and  some 
soap,  and  held  the  kitten  fast  in  the  pail  while 
she  rubbed  her  well.  Kitty  did  not  like  it 
much,  and  tried  to  get  away.  She  sneezed  and 
mewed,  as  the  water  got  into  her  mouth.  But 
pretty  soon  she  was  all  white  again,  and  Susan 
rubbed  her  as  dry  as  she  could  with  a  towel, 
and  put  her  into  Mary's  apron. 

8.  Mary  ran  smiling  into  her  mother's  room. 
"  Oh  !  here  is  my  white  kitten  come  back  again," 
she  said.  And,  sure  enough,  the  kitten  was  as 
pretty  as  ever. 


46 


NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


9.  ''Now  the  kitten  is  like  my  little  Mary, 
wlien  she  is  good,"  said  her  mother.  ''I  then 
say,  I  am  so  glad  to  have  my  pleasant  little  girl 
back  again,  instead  of  the  cross  child  who  was 
here  a  short  time  ago." 


ARTICULATION. 


c^st, 


LSS, 


pass, 


bisk, 
chance, 
grisp, 
stM, 


bMst ; 
cMss ; 
griss ; 
tisk; 


branch,  brdss, 
dance,     fast. 


Mss, 


Mst, 


pith,       vast, 


cisk; 
glince ; 
mast; 
waft. 


Note. — The  sixth  element  represented  by  a  is  a  sound  inter- 
mediate between  a,  as  heard  in  fat,  liat,  and  a,  as  in  arm,  arch. 


LESSON     VIM. 


Rear,  the  back  part. 
Strive,  to  labor  hard. 
Arch,  a  part  of  a  circle. 
Grown,  increased  in  size. 
Bright,  giving  a  great  light. 
Health,  freedom  from  disease. 
FQirm'  er ,  one  who  tiUs  the  soil. 


Parm'  -  house,  the  house 
where  the  farmer  lives. 

Poimt'ain,  a  small  basin  in 
which  water  springs  up. 

Bask'et,  a  light  woven  vessel 
in  which  things  are  carried. 

Ex'  er  cise,  motionof  the  body. 


AMY    LEE. 

ON  the  next  page  is  a  picture  of  the  farm- 
house where  Amy  Lee  lives  with  her  aunt 
in  summer. 


AMY  LEE. 


47 


2.  When  the  weather  is  cold,  she  lives  with 
her  par'ents,  in  the  city  of  New  York ;  hut  dur- 
ing the  warm  weather  she  is  left  with  her  aunt  in 
the  country. 

3.  You  see  the  rear  of  this  house.  Vines 
have  grown  up  and  covered  its  sides ;  and 
two  large  rose-bushes  form  an  arch  over  the 
door. 

4.  Here  is  a  fine  flower-garden  and  some 
fruit  trees.  You  see  Amy  standing  by  the 
fountain,  watching  some  pretty  little  gold- 
fishes that  are  swimming  in  the  clear,  cold 
water. 


48  NATIOT^AL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

5.  She  lias  just  been  picking  some  flowers  for 
her  annt,  and  the  exercise  has  given  a  glow  of 
health  to  her  cheeks. 

6.  The  pure  morning  air,  the  bright  sun- 
shine, the  songs  of  the  birds,  and  the  sweet 
scent  of  the  fruit  and  the  flowers,  have  made 
her  heart  glad. 

7.  She  loves  the  little  fishes,  and  she  would 
like  to  hold  them  in  her  hands,  and  play  with 
them ;  but  her  aunt  has  told  her  that  she  must 
not,  and  she  is  a  kind  and  good  little  girl,  and 
does  as  she  is  bid. 

8.  Amy's  aunt  has  no  little  boys  nor  girls  of 
her  own ;  but  she  loves  Amy  very  much,  and 
takes  great  pains  to  teach  her  many  useful 
things. 

9.  Her  aunt  tells  her  many  fine  stories,  and 
gives  her  little  books,  and  teaches  her  how  to 
read  them. 

10.  Amy  sometimes  asks  very  strange  ques- 
tions ;  but  her  aunt  is  always  kind,  and  explains 
to  her  what  she  wishes  to  know. 

11.  When  poor  people  call  at  the  door  to  beg 
for  food,  Amy's  aunt  allows  her  to  take  some 
bread  and  butter,  or  meat,  to  them,  and  some- 
times she  gives  them  some  nice  pie  and  cake, 
or  fruit. 


AMY   LEE. 


49 


12.  Here  you  see  a  poor  woman,  with  a  bas- 
ket on  lier  arm.  She  has  a  sick  little  boy  at 
home,  whom  she  loves  very  mnch,  but  she  has 
nothing  to  give  him  to 

eat.  Amy  has  just  giv- 
en her  a  loaf  of  bread, 
and  she  has  some  fine 
ripe  grapes,  in  her  lit- 
tle basket,  to  send  to 
the  poor  sick  boy. 
How  happy  she  looks, 
and  how  thankful  thr 
poor  woman  is ! 

13.  I  hope  that  all 
the  boys  and  girls,  who 
read  this  story  of  Amy 
Lee,  will  always  be  kind  to  the  poor  ;  for  if  they 
would  be  happy  themselves,  they  must  strive  to 
make  others  happy  also. 


ARTICULATION. 
h  or  h. 

be,  hh,  mh\         we,  ye,  ^ve; 

eke,         breve,     cede ;      glebe,      here,  mere ; 

scene^      scheme,  she ;         the^         these^  theme ; 

beam,      beard,   b  eat ;       d^ar,       fear,  hear. 


50 


NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 


LESSON        IX. 


Queer'  ly,  oddly  ;  strangely. 
Un'  cle,  the  brother  of  one's 

father  or  mother. 
Shear'  ing,  cutting  wool  with 

shears. 


Coun'  try,  land  outside  a  city. 
Wag'  on,  a  carriage  on  four 

wheels. 
Scis'  sors,    a    small    cutting 

instrument  of  two  blades. 


NELLIE. 

"^VTOT  far  from  Baltimore,  lived  a  little  girl, 
-*^^  whose  name  was  Nellie.  She  was  a  good 
little  girl ;  but  she  was  so  fond  of  fun,  that  she 
often  forgot  what  was  right,  and  made  a  great 
deal  of  trouble  for  herself  and  her  mother. 

2.  One  day,  she  carried  the  cat  up  stairs,  and 
taking  a  pair  of  scissors,  cut  very  many  little 
bits  of  fur  from  pussy's  back  and  sides.  She 
did  not  hurt  puss,  for  she  was  always  gentle 
with  her,  but  it  made  her  look  very  queer. 

3.  Puss  went  down  stairs,  where  Nellie's 
mother  was  at  work,  and  sat  down  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  room.  She  then  looked  at  Nellie's 
mother,  as  though  she  would  say,  "Just  look 
and  see  what  Nellie  has  been  doing  to  me." 

4.  Nellie  was  once  sent  into  the  country  to 
stay  with  her  uncle  John,  during  the  summer. 
She  was  very  fond  of  the  country ;  and  she 
loved  her  uncle  John,  because  he  was  always 
very  kind  to  her. 


NELLIE.  51 


5.  Nellie's  uncle  had  a  great  many  sheei^  and 
little  lambs.  When  the  day  came  for  shearing 
the  sheep,  Nellie  was  told  she  might  go  into  the 
field  where  they  were,  hut  she  must  keep  very 
quiet,  and  not  drive  them  about. 

6.  But  when  Nellie  got  there,  she  forgot  all 
that  her  uncle  had  said.  She  chased  the  sheep 
and  lambs  all  over  the  field  for  a  long  time. 

7.  At  last  one  large  sheep  seemed  to  think  he 
could  play  at  this  game  too.  So  he  ran  at  Nel- 
lie, when  she  did  not  see  him,  and  pushed  her 
down  the  bank  into  the  brook,  where  the  men 
were  washing  some  of  the  sheep. 

8.  This  made  the  men  all  laugh  very  much, 
when  they  saw  Nellie  was  not  hurt.  Nellie  did 
not  think  this  was  funny,  though  she  did  not 
mind  the  wetting,  as  she  was  used  to  cold  water. 

9.  As  she  rode  home  in  the  wagon,  she  told 
her  uncle  that  she  would  try,  another  day,  to  do 
as  she  was  told. 


ARTICULATION, 
e  or  e. 

§nd,         bSnd,       blend ;     bless,       g^t,  h§ld 

help,       kept,       lend ;       melt,       m^nd,  nest 

peck,       p§lt,         pent ;       p^st,        quench,  rest 

slept,       sw^pt,     tSnt ;        vest,        went,  w^st. 


52 


NATIOJN^AL    SECOND    READER. 


LESSON     X. 


Fee'ble,  weak. 
Wick'  ed,  bad ;  sinful. 
Hatched,  brought  forth  from 

the  egg. 
Nest'  lings,  very  young  birds. 


Feath'  ers,    the    covering  of 

birds. 
De  cide',to  make  up  one's  mind 
Sev'  er  al,  more  than  two  ;  a 

few. 


DON'T    KILL    THE    BIRDS. 

^^  XS  it  v^ry  cruel  to  shoot  little  birds  ?"  I  some- 
-^  times  hear  boys  ask  their  teacher  or  friends. 

I  will  tell  you  a  story  of  some  little  birds,  that 

you  may  decide  for  yourself. 

2.  The  first  warm  day  in  spring,   two  little 

birds  came  flying  from  the  South,  where  they 

had  spent  the  winter,  to  the  woods  where  they 

had  lived  the  summer  before.     They  found  the 

same  tree    where   their 

nest  had  been  then,  but 

the  nest  was  spoilt,  and 

they  made  a  new  one. 
2.   They     were     very 

busy  at  work  for  seve- 
ral days,  until  they  had 

a  beautiful  little  home. 

It  was  made  of  hay  and 

hair,     and    lined    vrith 

moss.     Soon  there  were  four  little 


do:n^'t  kill  the  bikds.  53 

and  then  one  of  the  birds  stayed  at  home  to 
keep  them  warm,  while  the  other  flew  5ff  for 
food. 

4.  After  a  while,  there  were  fonr  little 
birds  hatched  from  the  eggs  ;  but  they  were 
poor  little  feeble  things,  not  strong  enough 
to  fly.  They  had  no  feathers  to  keep  them 
warm.  The  mother-bird  spread  her  wings 
over  them,  and  scarcely  ever  left  the  nest, 
for  fear  her  nestlings  would  die.  Her  mate 
brought  food  both  for  her  and  for  the  little 
ones. 

5.  One  afternoon,  the  father-bird  had  been 
gone  a  long  time,  and  the  little  birds  began  to 
be  very  hungry.  They  chirped  and  chirped 
for  food,  but  no  food  came.  "I  will  go  and 
look  for  some  worms  for  you,"  said  their  mother. 
And  she  flew  away,  calling,  as  she  went,  for  her 
mate. 

6.  But  the  poor  little  bird  would  never  come 
to  her  again,  for  he  was  dead.  A  wicked  boy 
had  shot  him,  just  for  fun.  The  mother-bird 
was  flying  home  with  a  nice  supper  for  her 
nestlings,  when  the  same  boy  saw  her.  He 
took  aim  and  fired,  and  she,  too,  fell  to  the 
ground. 

7.  The  little  birds  in  the  nest  called  in  vain 


54 


NATIOISTAL    SECOND    KEADER. 


for  their  mother  that  night.  The  sun  went 
down,  but  she  did  not  come.  They  crowded 
close  together,  to  keep  themselves  warm,  but 
they  grew  colder  and  colder,  and,  before  morn- 
ing, these  little  birds  were  all  dead,  too. 

8.  Now,  was  it  not  cruel  to  shoot  the  two 
old  birds,  and  leave  the  young  ones  to  die  in 
their  nest  ?  Do  you  not  think  it  would  be  cruel 
and  wicked  to  kill  any  of  the  little  innocent 
birds  that  you  see  in  the  garden  or  fields  ? 


ARTiCU  LATION. 

§rr. 

fern. 

e 

germ ;      h^r. 

h^rd. 

n^rve ; 

perch, 

bird, 

rairth, 

s§rf, 

ch^rp, 

qu^'rk, 

s^rge ;      s^rve, 
f^'rm ;        first, 
sh^rk ;      shirt. 

t^rm, 

girl, 

sk?rt. 

v^rse ; 
g^Vth ; 
whirl ; 

bi^rn. 

bi^rst. 

chwrch;  chra-n. 

fur. 

furl ; 

hurt. 

nurse, 

■pier ;         p?/rse. 

turn, 

myrrh. 

Note. — The  third  element,  or  sound,  represented  by  e,  is  e  as 
heard  in  end,  modified  or  softened  by  r.    It  is  also  represented  by 
i,  u,  and  y. 

LESSON     XI. 


Storm,  a  strong  wind  with  a 
fall  of  rain,  snow,  or  hail. 

Bird  (bird),  any  fowl  or  flying 
animal. 

Joy'  ous,  cheerful. 


Chiir  ing,  making  cold. 
Harm'  less,  not  hurtful. 
Cheer'  less,  sad  ;  gloomy. 
War'  ble,  to  sing  like  a  bird. 
Dis  turb  (tirb'),  cause  trouble. 


dojn^'t  kill  the  birds.  55 


DON'T    KILL    THE    BIRDS. 

y^ON'T  kiU  the  b^rds,  the  little  l^^rds, 
-*-^     That  sing  about  your  door, 
Soon  as  the  joyous  spring  has  come, 
And  chilling  storms  are  o'er. 

2.  The  little  lb?'rds,  how  sweet  they  sing ! 

Oh,  let  them  joyous  live. 
And  do  not  seek  to  take  their  life. 
Which  you  can  never  give. 

3.  Don't  kill  the  b^rds,  the  pretty  l^^rds, 

That  play  among  the  trees  ; 
'T  would  make  the  mrth  a  cheerless  place 
To  see  no  more  of  these. 

4.  The  little  b^rds,  how  fond  they  play  ! 

Do  not  disturb  their  sport ; 
But  let  them  warble  forth  their  songs. 
Till  winter  cuts  them  short. 

5.  Don't  kill  the  b^rds,  the  happy  b^rds, 

That  cheer  the  field  and  grove  ; 
Such  harmless  things  to  look  upon. 
They  claim  our  warmest  love. 


5^ 


NATIOIS^AL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


ice, 
lire, 
life, 
sire. 


bind, 
grind, 
like, 
spite, 


ARTICU  LATION 

I  or  1. 
child ;        dime, 
hide ;         hive, 
mild ;        prize, 
time ;        while, 


fife, 
kind, 
rice, 
white. 


find; 
kite ; 
ride; 
wise. 


LESSON     XII 


Snapped,  bit  at. 
Cross'  ing,  passing  over. 
Shad'  OW,  a  dark  image. 
Riv'  er,  a  large  stream  of  water. 
Float'  ed,  carried  on  tlie  sur- 
face of  the  water. 


Growl'  ing,  the  noise  made  by 

an  angry  animal. 
Greed'  y,  hungry  ;  anxious  to 

get  every  thing. 
Ap  peared',  seemed. 
Sup  posed',  fancied  ;  thought. 
For  get'  ting,  not  i  emembering. 


A 


THE    DOG    AND    HIS    SHADOW. 

CROSS  dog,  having  a  large  piece  of  meat, 
was  carrying  it  home  in  his  mouth.     On 


his  way,  he  had  to  pass 
over  a  river. 

2.  As  he  was  cross- 
ing the  stream  he  saw 
his  own  shadow  in  the 
water.  He  supposed  it 
to  be  another  dog  with 
a  piece  of  flesh  in  his 
mouth.  Forgetting  his 
own  meat,  he  snapped 


THE    DOG    AIN^D    HIS    SHADOW.  57 

at  his  shadow,  to  seize  the  piece  of  meat  that 
the  shadow  appeared  to  have  in  its  mouth. 

3.  As  he  opened  his  mouth,  his  own  meat 
fell  out,  and  floated  away  on  the  water,  and 
was  lost,  wh^le  he  was  growling  at  the  shadow. 

4.  This  cross  and  greedy  dog  thus  lost  his 
own  meat,  while  he  was  trying  to  get  what  he 
supposed  belonged  to  another. 

5.  When  little  boys  and  girls  are  tempted  to 
tr^  to  get  away  things  that  belong  to  others,  I 
hope  they  will  remember  this  story  of  the  dog 
and  his  shadow. 


Shrubs,  low,  dwarf  trees. 
Weeds,  any  useless  plants. 
Hatch  (hdch),   to  bring  forth 

young  from  eggs. 
Crunibs  (crumz),  small  pieces 


Chirp  ing(cli5rp'ing),  the  noise 
of  young  birds. 

Snow'bil-  0,  small  birds  ap- 
pearing in   .me  of  snow. 

Cli'  mate,  a  part  of  the  earth 


of  bread  or  other  food.  marked  by  particular  kind  of 

Spar  rows  (sp&r'),  small  birds.  |      weather. 


ARTICU  LATION. 

lor 

i. 

inch. 

ink. 

cling; 

fringe,       finch, 

give; 

glimpse. 

hint, 

kiss  ; 

king,         lift, 

live ; 

mint, 

mist. 

pink  ; 

quick,       quill. 

ring; 

rinse. 

silk. 

sink  ; 

will,          wind, 

Aving. 

1 

LESSON     XIII. 

58  NATIOJSTAL    SECOND    EEADER. 

THE    SNOW-BI  RDS. 

George.  Oh,  mother!  the  ground  ^s  all  cov- 
ered w^th  snow ! 

Mother.  Yes,  my  dear:  ^t  has 'snowed  during 
the  night,  and  covered  the  earth  to  the  depth 
of  several  inches. 

George.  Oh,  look  at  the  prdty  snow-birds  ! 
See  how  close  they  come  to  the  door.  But  are 
they  not  very  cold,  mother,  their  feet  are  so 
red? 

Mother.  ]N"o,  George.  The  little  snow-birds 
are  not  afraid  of  the  cold.  They  are  all  covered 
w^th  soft  and  warm  feathers. 

George.  But  are  not  their  feet  cold  ^  When 
my  feet  were  once  almost  frozen,  they  were  red, 
just  lika  the  snow-birds'  feet. 

Mother.  Their  feet  are  always  red,  m  summer 
as  well  as  m  winter. 

George.  Where  do  the  snow-birds  go  ^n  the 
summer-time,  mother?  I  neve:f  see  them  after 
the  winter  has  gone. 

Mother.  They  love  the  snow  and  the  cold, 
and  they  go  away  off  to  the  north  in  the  sum- 
mer-time, where  they  lay  their  eggs  and  hatch 
their  young  ones. 

George.  Then,  ii  they  love  the  cold  so  well, 


THE    SNOW-BIEDS.  69 

why  do  they  not  stay  tliere  ?   It  is  always  cold  at 
the  north,  you  have  told  me. 

Mother.  They  come  here  for  food,  in  our 
mild  climate,  very  many  plants  grow,  the  seeds 
of  whzch  are  good  food  for  them. 

George.  But  ^t  snows  here  too,  mother,  and 
covers  up  all  the  ground. 

Mother.  But  not  often  so  deep  as  to  cover 
up  the  tops  of  weeds  and  bushes  m  the  woods 
and  corners  of  the  fields,  from  wMch  they 
may  st/11  p^ck  the  seeds.  See,  there !  Do 
you  not  see  that  k'ttle  Ibird  p^cking  out  the 
seeds  from  a  stock  wh^ch  still  k'fts  ^tself  above 
the  snow  ? 

George.  Oh,  yes !  Dear  h'ttle  bird  !  See ! 
Now  it  has  come  up  to  the  door,  and  ^s  pzcking 
up  the  crumbs  from  the  step. 

Mother.  After  a  deep  snow,  they  always  come 
about  the  houses,  and  barns,  and  haystacks,  to 
p^ck  up  crumbs  and  seeds. 

George.  Where  are  they  when  ^t  does  not 
snow,  or  when  aU  the  snow  is  melted  % 

Mother.  They  are  m  the  woods  and  the 
fields,  seeking  their  food  from  weeds  and 
shrubs. 

George.  They  all  turii  to  sparrows  in  the 
summer-time,  do  they  not,  mother  % 


60  NATIOi^AL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

Mother.  ]^o,  dear.  Dzd  I  not  tell  you  that 
they  all  leave  us,  and  go  away  to  the  north, 
where  the  climate  is  colder  ? 

George.  Oh,  yes.  But  then  I  heard  Mr.  Mur- 
ray say,  that  the  little  chirping  sparrows,  that 
live  about  the  house  m  summer-time,  are  snow- 
birds, with  new  feathers  on. 

Mother.  Other  people  besides  Mr.  Murray 
have  thought  so.  But  a  sparrow  is  a  sparrow, 
and  a  snow-bird,  a  snow-bird.  But  come,  it  is 
breakfast-time,  and  you  must  make  yourself 
ready  for  school. 


ARTICU  LATION 

■ 

6  or  6. 

old, 

bold. 

bolt ;        bone, 

c61d. 

dome ; 

fold. 

hope. 

home ;      joke. 

lone, 

mope ; 

more. 

pole, 

post ;        robe, 

roll, 

ro]3e ; 

force, 

g61d, 

hold ;        rove. 

sole, 

tone. 

LESSON     XIV. 

Dropped  (dr6pt),  let  fall.  I  Par  ents  (p^r'  ents),  father  and 

Treat'  ed,  used.  j     mother. 


Par'  eels,  small  bundles. 
Con'duct,  manners ;  behavior. 
Win'  dow,  an  opening  to  ad- 
mit light  and  air. 


Cross' -bow,    a    bow    placed 

across  a  stock,  or  handle. 
A  shamed',  filled  with  shame. 
Be  h.aves(hivz'),acts;  conducts. 


GENTLE    SUSY.  61 


GENTLE    SUSY. 

SITTING  by  my  wmdow  one  morning,  I  saw 
little  Susy  going  down  the  street.  She  had 
been  sent  to  the  store,  and  was  now  on  her  way 
home  with  some  parcels  in  her  hands. 

2.  Thomas  is  a  little  boy,  whose  par'ents  live 
across  the  street.  He  was  standing  outside  of 
his  father's  gate  whittling,  trying  to  make  a 
cross-bo^.  Susy,  as  she  went  past,  looked  at 
him,  and  smiled  pleasantly. 

3.  Thomas  did  not  return  her  smile.  After 
he  had  looked  at  her  a  moment,  he  dropped  his 
knife  and  stick,  and,  running  up  behind  Susy, 
put  both  hands  against  her,  and  gave  her  as 
hard  a  push  as  he  could. 

4.  Susy  turned  round,  and  Thomas  ran  back 
a  few  steps,  laughing  loudly.  Then,  as  soon  as 
she  went  forward,  he  would  run  up  again,  and 
give  her  another  rude  push. 

5.  This  he  did  three  or  four  times,  when 
Susy  turned  back,  still  smiLuig,  held  out  one 
of  her  hands  toward  him,  and  said :  ''  Come, 
Thomas,  go  with  me  a  little  way,  and  I  will 
tell  you  something.' - 

6.  The  boy  hung  his  head.  I  am  sure  he 
felt  ashamed  of  his  conduct,  when  he  heard 


62  JSTATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

Susy  speak  so  mildly.  He  waited  a  minute. 
Then  lie  walked  gently  up,  and  put  Ms  hand  in 
Susy's,  and  she  led  him  along,  telling  him  a 
pretty  story,  I  have  no  doubt. 

7.  Thomas  must  be  a  very  bad  boy  if  he 
ever  behaves  so  unkindly  again  toward  any  one. 
But  if  Susy  had  become  angry,  and  struck 
Thomas,  or  called  him  hard  names,  would  he 
have  been  made  better  by  it  ? 

o.  'Uiiiiaren  ought  always  to  be  gentle  to- 
ward each  other.  I  hope,  if  any  of  the  boys 
or  girls  who  read  this  lesson  are  treated  as  Susy 
was,  they  will  do  as  she  did. 


ARTICU  LATION. 
6  or  o. 

bond,      b5x,  blot ;        block,       chop,  cl5t ; 

clod,        clog,         clock ;      fond,        flog,  flock ; 

lodge,     n6t,  plot ;        shop,        sp6t,  stop ; 

s51ve,      tr6t,  in5ss ;       tost,  lost,  soft. 


LESSON     XV. 


Don'  key,  an  ass,  or  mule. 
Stu'  pid,  slow  to  understand. 
Burden  (bSr'dn),   somctliing 
heavy  to  be  carried. 


Jeal'  OUS,  fearing  that  another 
is  more  loved  than  ourselves. 
Ca  ress',  to  treat  with  fondness. 
Atten'tion,  notice. 
Con  sid'  er,  to  think. 


THE    DOG    AND    THE    DONKEY.  63 


THE    DOG    AND    THE    DONKEY. 


A  MAN  once  had  a  beautiful  little  dog,  of 
whicli  lie  was  very  fond.  He  had  also  a 
donkey,  that  was  very  useful  in  drawing  the 
cart,  and  carrying  heavy  burdens. 

2.  The  donkey  seeing  his  master  caress  and 
pet  the  little  dog,  was  very  jealous.  He  could 
see  no  reason  why  his  master  should,  j^^t.^^y. 
as  much  attention  to  him  as  he  did  to  the 
dog. 

3.  Seeing  that  the  dog  always  ran  up  to  his 
master,  as  soon  as  he  came  home,  and  climbed 
up  into  his  lap,  the  stupid  donkey  supposed 
that,  if  he  should  do  the  same  thing,  his  mas- 
ter would  be  as  fond  of  him  as  he  was  of  the 
dog. 

4.  One  day,  as  his  master  was  sitting  at  the 
door  of  the  house,  the  donkey  ran  up  to  him, 
and  put  both  of  his  fore-feet  in  his  master's  lap, 
as  he  had  seen  the  little  dog  do. 

5.  His  great  heavy  feet  and  thick  hoofs  hurt 
his  master  very  much,  and  he  called  aloud  to 
the  servants  to  beat  the  donkey  away,  and  shut 
him  up  in  the  bam. 

6.  The    story    of  the   donkey    and    the    dog 


64 


NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 


should  teach  us  that  it  is  not  proper  for  us  to 
do  every  thing  that  we  see  others  do. 

7.  We  must  consider  whether  what  we  wish 
to  do  will  injure  others.  It  is  not  right  for  you 
to  do  what  would  hurt  or  injure  others.  If  you 
do,  you  may  be  treated  as  harshly  as  the  poor 
donkey  was. 


ARTICU  LATION. 

s 

d6. 

t6, 

0 

who ;       16se, 

pr6ve. 

tomb ; 

boon, 

boot. 

m5on ;     s6on. 

shoot. 

pr6of; 

f5ol, 

16op, 

loom ;       n6on. 

spoon. 

spool. 

LESSON     XVI 


Dam,  the   female    parent    or 

mother  of  a  beast. 
Mo'  ment,  a  very  short  space 

of  time. 


Lift'  ed,  raised  up. 
Ten' der  ly,  with  gentle  care. 
Be  longed  (1)6  I6nged'),was  the 
property  of ;  owned  by. 


THE    LAMB. 

AS  Clara  Wood  was  on  her  way  to  school,  one 
day,  she  found  a  little  lamb  lying  in  the 
s5ft,  green  grass.  She  looked  all  around,  but 
its  dam  was  not  to  be  seen.     She  lifted  it  ten- 


THE    LAMB.  65 


derly  in  her  arms,  and  carried  it  back  to  Iter 
home. 

2.  As  she  walked  along,  the  lamb  laid  its 
head  against  her  bosom,  and  looked  up  in  her 
face  mth  its  mild  eyes.  Already  she  loved  it ; 
and  when  she  reached  home,  she  said  : 

3.  '^Dear  mother!  Look  here,  I  have  the 
sweetest  little  lamb !  It  was  all  alone  in  the 
field,  and  I  have  brought  it  home.  May  it  be 
mine,  mother  ?  I  will  give  it  some  of  my  bread 
and  milk,  and  oh  !  I  will  love  it  very  much." 

4.  But  Clara's  mother  said  that  the  lamb,  no 
doubt,  belonged  to  farmer  Wilkins,  and  that  it 
would  not  be  right  for  her  to  keep  it. 

5.  Then  Mrs.  Wood,  seeing  how  sad  Clara 
looked,  said:  **It  would  be  wrong,  my  love, 
for  you  to  keep  what  belongs  to  farmer  Wil- 
kins. If  you  had  a  lamb,  and  it  were  15st, 
would  you  think  it  right  for  the  person  who 
found  it  to  keep  it  as  his  own  f 

6.  Clara  Wood,  though  a  little  girl,  saw  in  a 
moment  that  she  had  .no  right  to  keep  the 
lamb.  She  then  said,  with  tears  in  her  eyes: 
*' Would  I  better  carry  it  over  to  farmer  Wil- 
kins?" 

7.  ''Yes,  dear.  It  may  be  his;  but,  if  not, 
he  can  tell  you  to  whom  it  belongs." 


66  I^ATIOl^AL    SECOND    READEE. 

8.  Clara  took  the  lamb  in  lier  arms  again, 
and  carried  it  over  to  farmer  Wilkins. 


ARTICULATION. 
u  or  u. 

blu^,       cube,        cure;        du^,  duke,  dupe; 

flute,       fuge,         fume;       fuse,         glu(?,  ji^e; 

lure,        lute,         mule ;       muse,       mute,  pure ; 

slu^,        spume,     su{t;         su^,  tube,  tune. 


LESSON     XVII 


Wursed,  cared  for  tenderly.       [  Stoop'  ing,  bending. 
Field,  a  piece  of  inclosed  land.    Gift'  ed,  furnislied  with. 
Ground,  the  upper  part  of  land. 
Skip'  ping,    moving    lightly 
from  place  to  place. 


Pol'  low  ing,  going  after. 
An'  i  mal,  any  thing  that  lives 
and  breathes. 


THE    LAMB  — Concluded. 

"  J  FOUND  this  dear  little  lamb  all  alone  in 
-^    the  fields,  as  I  went  to  school,"  said  Clara, 

when  she   saw  the  farmer.      "Mother  said  it 

must  be  yours ;  and  I  have  brought  it  over  to 

jou.^^ 
2.  "  Yes,  it  is  my  lamb,"  said  farmer  Wilkins, 

as  he  took  the  little  animal  from  her  arms  ; 

"andyo'Z^are  a  good  girl  for  bringing  it  home 


THE    LAMB.  67 


to  me.      If  the  dogs  liad  found  it,  they  would 
have  torn  it  all  to  pieces." 

3.  As  the  farmer  said  this,  he  put  the  lamb 
upon  the  ground,  but,  as  Clara  thought,  not 
very  gently.  StoopiQg  down,  she  put  her  arms 
around  its  neck  and  kissed  it.  Then  looking 
into  the  farmer's  face,  she  said;  ^*Yo2^  will  not 
hurt  the  poor  lamb,  sir,  will  jou  V 

4.  "  Oh,  no,  child  !  I  wiU  not  hurt  it."  As  the 
farmer  said  this,  he  saw  that  there  were  tears  in 
the  eyes  of  the  little  girl,  and  knowing-  that 
she  loved  the  lamb,  and  would  like  to  keep  it, 
he  said :  "If  that  lamb  were  jouxs^  what  would 
jou  do  with  it  ?" 

5.  "Oh!"  replied  she,  "I  would  feed  it  with 
new  milk  from  our  cow  every  day  ;  and  I  would 
make  it  a  nice  soft  bed  to  sleep  on,  where  no 
cold  nor  rain  can  touch  it.  And  I  would  love 
it  so  much !" 

6.  "Take  it,  then,  my  good  little  girl,"  said 
the  farmer.  "I  have  a  great  many  lambs  in 
my  flocks,  and  shall  not  miss  this  one.  Take 
it ;  it  is  yo^rs." 

7.  "  Oh,  I  am  so  glad  !"  said  the  now  happy 
cliild.  Then  lifting  the  lamb  once  more  into 
her  arms,  she  ran  home  with  it,  as  fast  as  she' 
could.      She  nursed    the   lamb  with  so  much 


68 


NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADJ:R. 


care,  that  it  scarcely  missed  the  mother  from 
which  it  had  been  taken.  It  soon  learned 
Clara's  voice,  and  would  follow  her  abont,  and 
sport  with  her  as  playfully  as  a  kitten. 

8.  Every  day,  when  she  went  to  school,  her 
mother  had  to  shut  the  lamb  up  in  the  house  to 
keep  it  from  following  her ;  but  when  she  came 
home,  it  would  see  her  a  good  way  off,  and  run, 
skipping  along,  to  meet  her. 

9.  Though  the  lamb  could  not  tell,  in  words, 
how  much  it  loved  its  dear  young  friend,  yet 
Clara  could  read  love  in  its  eyes  ;  and  she  ^knew 
all  it  would  have  said,  if  it  had  been  gifted 
with  speech. 


ARTICULATION 

ti.  or  u. 
hM,        b^mp,       b^nch ;     blush, 
cMmp,     cWtch,      crust ;       dAck, 
flush,       hunt,         hi^sh 


Mmp,      much,       mull 


brush,  cMb ; 

dust,  fund ; 

jump,  just ; 

pfimp,       rfish,  rust. 


judge. 


LESSON     XVIII. 


Clus'ters,  bunches. 
Trained  (trind),  made  to  go  in 
,     a  certain  way. 
Trel'lis,   a  frame    on  which 
plants  grow. 


Luck'  y,  fortunate. 

En'  vi  OUS,  feeling  pain  at  an- 
other's success. 

Dis  ap  point'ed,  hindered  from 
getting  what  was  expected. 


r                                                                                                                            j 
SOUR    GRAPES.                                   69 

^^^ki^m^ 

^^^^^^^^^^&i'' 

^^^^T^^  ^.^.^^.^^:iM'^^.  . 

SOUR    GRAPES 

A   FABLE. 

A     FOX  passing  by  a  garden,  one  day,  saw 
-^^^    some  very  sweet  and  ripe  grapes,  hanging 

in  cl^^sters  from  the  vines.     B^t  the  vines  had 

been  trained,   as  vines  should  be,   on  a  high 

wall  or  on  a  high  trellis,  and  he  conld  not  reach 

them. 

2.  He  jumped  uip,  and  ran  round  the  vines. 

and  tried  every  way  in  his  power  to  get  at  the 

70  NATIONAL    SECOND    READER. 

grapes.     But  all  was  in  vain.     He  could  not 
reacli  one  of  them. 

3.  At  last,  tired  in  the  vain  attempt  to  reach 
them,  he  went  off,  saying  to  himself,  "They 
are  nothing  b^^t  sour  grapes  after  all.  I  would 
not  pick  them  uip,  if  they  were  lying  at  my 
feet." 

4.  Sometimes,  little  boys  and  girls  act  j^st 
as  the  fox  did.  If  they  w^ant  something  which 
they  have  tried  to  get,  and  find  that  some  one 
else  has  been  so  l^^cky  as  to  obtain  it,  they  say 
it  is  good  for  nothing,  and  they  would  not  take 
it,  if  they  could  get  it. 

5.  John  Carney  was  an  envious  boy.  He 
had  been  trying  very  hard  to  secure  a  prize 
which  his  teacher  had  offered  to  the  scholar 
that  should  be  at  the  head  of  his  class  on  a  cer- 
tain day. 

6.  It  so  happened  that  James  Bead  obtained 
the  prize,  and  John  Carney,  who  wanted  it  very 
-much,  being  disappointed,  said  to  James,  ''  You 
feel  very  proud  because  you  have  the  prize.  I 
would  not  take  it,  if  the  master  would  give  it 
to  me." 

7.  In  saying  and  doing  so,  John  acted  j^^st 
as  the  fox  did,  when  he  could  not  reach  the 
grapes. 


THE    PICTUKE-BOOK.  71 

8.  'Now,   if   you  hear   any  one   say,    ''  JSotcr 
grapes y^^  I  liope  you  will  ^^nderstand  what  it 

means. 

♦ 

ARTICULATION. 

u. 

bull,        bush,        full ;  pull,  push,       puss ; 

put,         wolf,         hook ;        hook,        look,        took. 


LESSON     XIX. 


Prize,  to  esteem. 

Leaves  (l^vz),  parts  of  a  book 
containing  two  pages  each. 

Leath'  er,  the  skin  of  an  ani- 
mal tanned  or  dressed  for  use. 

Sto'  ry,  a  tale ;  something  told. 


Enough  (enuf),  plenty. 
A  right',  in  a  proper  way. 
Afford',  to  produce  ;  to  givew 
Prop'  er  ly,  rightly. 
Enjoy' ment,  pleasure. 
A  mus'  ing,  funny ;  pleasing. 


THE    PICTURE-BOOK. 

''   A   LFEED,  my  son,"  said  Mr.  Taylor  to  a 
^-^  bright  little  boy  seven  years  of  age,  ' '  here 
is  a  beantiful  picture-book  I  have  b)ought  for 
you." 

2.  "Tliank  you,  father,"  said  Alfred,  ^^tis 
a  beautiful  book  indeed,  and  f^U  of  pictures,  I 
shall  prize  this  book  very  much,  because  it  was 
given  me  by  my  dear  father,  and  is  so  pretty." 

3.  "Now,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  "you  are  old 
enough  to  begin  to  think,  and  I  wish  you  to 
learn  to  think  aright. 


72 


NATiois^AL  seco:n^d  eeadee. 


4.  "The  older  you  grow,  the  more  you  will 
learn  to  think,  and  to  think  properly.  You 
can  now  judge  only  how  the  book  appears  to  the 
eye.  But  it  contains  something  more  than  the 
pictures.     Can  you  tell  me  what  that  is  ?" 

5.  "  Oh,  yes,  father.  It  has  an  inside  and  an 
outside,  and  many  leaves,  and  two  pages  on 
each  leaf.  And  then  there  is  the  thick  cover  of 
the  book,  which  is  made  of  soft  leather." 

6.  ''  And  now,  my  son,  if  you  shouid  shut 
your  eyes  and  keep  them  shut,  while  I  read  to 
you  one  of  the  amusing  stories  of  which  this 


THE    PICTURE-BOOK.  73 

book  is  so  full,  would  you  not  perceive  tliat 
there  is  sometMng  in  tTie  book,  wMcli  needs 
not  to  be  seen,  in  order  to  be  enjoyed  ?" 

7.  "  Yes,  father,  I  know  the  book  is  f^U  of 
stories ;  and  there  are  many  pictures,  too, 
which  show  what  the  stories  are  about." 

8.  ''But,  if  the  pictures  were  not  there,  co^^M 
you  understand  the  stories  in  the  book  f 

9.  ''  No,  sir,  unless  some  one  should  read 
them  to  me." 

10.  ''Now,  which  wo2^Zd  you  prefer,"  said  his 
father,  "  a  book  f^ll  of  stories,  without  pictures, 
or  a  book  f^^ll  of  pictures  without  stories  ?" 

11.  "I  would  much  rather  have  a  book  full 
of  stories  without  pictures,  than  a  picture-book 
without  stories,"  said  Alfred. 

12.  "But  you  can  see  the  pictures.  Can  you 
see  the  stories,  my  son  ?" 

13.  "No,  sir;  but  you,  or  dear  mother,  could 
read  the  stories  ;  or,  I  might  read  them  my- 
self." 

14.  "Now,  my  son,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  "this 
book  will  teach  you  a  useful  lesson.  While  it 
is  f^^U  of  pictures  and  pleases  your  eye,  at  the 
same  time  the  stories  in  it,  though  you  may 
only  hear  them,  wOl  afford  you  still  greater 
pleasure. 


74 


NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


15.  ''The  ear,  tlien,  may  afford  you  as  mucli 
enjoyment  as  the  eye.  With  the  eye,  you  may 
see  the  sun,  the  moon,  the  stars,  and  all  the 
beautiful  things  around  you.  With  the  ear, 
you  may  hear  pleasant  sounds,  sweet  music, 
and  the  glad  voices  of  your  friends." 


rouudi. 


ARTICU  LATION 
ou. 
out,         hounQQ ;    hound., 
ioundi,     iount ;       \\oundi, 
lownge,   Viwunt ;     iwouih, 
rouse,      sound ;      south, 


couah,     cloud ; 
house,     jounce ; 
■pounce,  -pound ; 


shout,      wound. 


LESSON     XX 


Qnar'  rel,  to  dispute  angrily. 
Dis  please',  to  make  angry. 
Gen'  er  ous,  giving  freely. 


Sat'  is  f  ied,  having  enough. 
Dis  o  bey',    to    refuse   to  do 
what  is  ordered. 


TH  E    GENEROUS    CHI LDREN. 

^^nr  UCY,  did  you  give  your  little  "brother  the 
-Li   peach,  which  I  gave  you  for  him  ?"  said 

a  father,  to  his  little  daughter.     "No,  father,  I 

did  not,"  said  Lucy. 
2.  ''And  why  did  you  not,  my  child  ?"  said 

her  father.     ''I  gave  you  two  peaches,  a  large 


THE    GENEKOUS    CHILD REJST.  75 

one  and  a  small  one.  The  large  one  was  for 
yourself,  and  the  small  one  for  your  brother. 
Were  you  not  satisfied  ?  Yours  was  much 
larger  than  the  one  I  told  you  to  give  to  him. 
I  hope  you  have  not  eaten  them  hoth." 

3.  ''Oh  no,  dear  father,"  said  Lucy.  "late 
only  the  smaller  one,  and  gave  to  dear  little 
brother  the  larger  one." 

4.  "But  why  did  you  not  give  him  the 
smaller  one,  as  I  told  you  to  do  ?"  said  her 
father. 

5.  "Because,  I  thought  he  would  like  the 
larger  one  better,"  said  Lucy.  "  I  love  my 
dear  little  brother,  and  I  am  pleased  when 
I  see  him  happy.  I  did  not  intend  to  dis- 
obey you,  dear  father,  and  I  hope  you  will 
not  be  displeased  with  me  for  what  I  have 
done." 

6.  Her  father  looked  at  his  little  daughter 
with  a  smile  on  his  face,  while  a  tear  started  in 
his  eye,  as  Lucy  continued. 

7.  "But  little  brother  almost  quarreled  with 
me  abo^^t  it,  dear  father.  He  said  that  he  would 
have  the  little  peach,  and  that  I  should  eat  the 
big  one." 

8.  "He  was  a  generous  little  fellow,"  said 
her  father,  "and  you  too  are  a  generous  little 


76  NATIOI!^AL    SECOND    READER. 

girl ;  and,  so  far  from  being  displeased  with 
you,  I  am  pleased  with  you  both.  I  gave  the 
larger  peach  to  you,  because  you  are  older  and 
larger  than  he  is." 

9.   ''And  I,"   said  Lucy,   ''want  to  give  the 
best  things  to  my  dear  little  brother." 

10.  "Lucy,"  said  her  father,  "tell  me  truly, 
when  you  had  eaten  the  smaller  peach,  and  saw 
your  little  brother  eating  the  larger  one,  did  you 
not  wish  you  had  kept  the  larger  one  yourself." 

11.  "Oh  no,  dear  father,  it  gave  me  more 
pleasure  to  see  my  dear  little  brother  enjoying 
his  peach,  than  to  have  eaten  it  myself  f 

12.  "That  is  true  generosity,"  said  her  fa- 
ther. "We  are  not  generous,  when  we  give 
to  others,  what  we  do  not  want  (92/,rselves.  To 
be  generous  is  to  give  to  others  what  we  do 
want  6)2^rselves,  and  can  ot^rselves  enjoy. 

13.  "And  now,  my  dear,"  said  her  father,  as 
he  kissed  her,  "  I  wish  you  to  remember  how 
happy  you  feel,  after  you  have  done  a  generous 
act.  If  you  had  eaten  the  larger  peach  your- 
self, it  might  have  pleased  you  for  the  time,  but 
the  pleasure  would  soon  have  been  forgotten. 
But  now  your  generous  action  not  only  gives 
pleasure  to  you,  but  it  will  make  me  and  your 
dear  mother  and  all  your  friends  happy." 


TABLE    OF    VOWEL    ELEMEIS^TS.                 77 

TABLE    OF  THE   VOWEL    ELEMENTS,    OR    TONICS.^ 

a  or  a     as  in    age,       ate,        bane,       dame,    tame. 

a  or  a        "        4t,         dsh,       d^mp,      Mnd,     lamp. 

h        "        &rt,        irm,      mlrch,    cird,     hlrd. 

4        "        411,        bdll,      p^i^se,     wdnt,    walk. 

a       "       bare,      care,      flare,       rare,      ware. 

d        "        ask,       asp,       glass,       d^nce,  pint. 

e  or  e        "       lie,        w^e,        th^se,      cede,     glebe. 

e  or  e        "        §lk,       ^nd,       bless,      blend,   w^st. 

§        "        ^rr,        h^r,       n^rve,     s^rve,    verse. 

1  or  i        "       ice,        ire,        child,      mild,     wise. 

i  or  i        "        ink,       inch,      give,        silk,       wing. 

6  or  6        "       61d,       6de,       b61d,       cold,      home. 

6  or  6        "       6n,        bond,    bl6ck,     fl6ck,     f5nd. 

6        "        d6,         t6,         who,        prove,   tomb. 

uoru        "        cube,     cure,      duke,-     dupe,     fuse. 

uorA       "       bud,      bulb,     hfish,      lull,       hflnt. 

u        *'        full,       pull,      put,         puss,      push. 

oio        "        our,       o^it,       f<9i^nd,     hc>2^se,   lotid. 

J  First  require  the  pupils  to  utter  an  element  by  itself,  then  to 

pronounce  distinctly  the  words  that  follow,  uttering  the  element 

after  each  word— thus :  kge,  k  ;  kte,  k  ;  bine,  k,  &c.     Exercise  the 

class  upon  the  above  table,  till  each  pupil  can  utter  consecutively  all 

the  vowel  sounds.     The  attention  of  the  class  should  be  called  to 

the  fact  that  the  first  element,  or  sound,  represented  by  each  of 

the  vowels,  is  usually  indicated  by  a  horizontal  line  placed  over 

the  letter,  and  the  second  sound  by  a  curved  line. 

78  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


LESSON     XXI. 

Moss  (moss),  very  little,  small-  |  Offered,  proposed, 
leaved  plants.  I  Pig  eon  (pij'  un),  a  dove 

Fa'ble,  a  story  not  tnie,  but  |  Thought' less,  careless, 
teaching  a  useful  lesson. 

Wo  ven  ("w6'  vn),  threads  pass- 
ed over  and  under  each  other. 


'  Boast'  er,  one  who  speaks  his 
own  praises. 
De  ceive',  to  cheat. 


BOASTING. 

A  l^ISTA  STROI^G  was  a  sad  little  boaster. 
-^-^  Thongli  slie  meant  to  speak  tlie  truth,  she 
was  so  vain  and  thoughtless,  that  no  one  could 
believe  her. 

2.  Sbe  always  wanted  a  long  lesson.  She 
would  say,  ''I  can  leam  it  all;  it  is  not  too 
hard  for  me ;''  though,  when  her  class  was 
called  out  to  recite,  she  was  very  5ften  sent 
back  to  lier  seat  to  study. 

3.  If  any  thing  was  to  be  done,  at  home  or 
at  school,  Anna  would  always  say,  "/know 
how  ;  please  to  let  me  do  it ;"  even  if  it  was  a 
thing  she  could  not  do  at  all. 

4.  Miss  Eaton  was  Anna's  teacher.  One  day, 
she  wished  some  one  to  point  to  the  names  of 
the  cities  on  a  large  map,  so  that  all  the  girls 
in  the  class  might  know  where  to  find  them. 


BOASTING.  79 


5.  "Oh,  let  me  do  it,"  said  Anna;  " I^know 
how  as  well  as  can  be." 

6.  "Yes,  you  may  do  it,"  said  Miss  Eaton; 
but  Anna  could  not  point  to  a  single  name  that 
her  teacher  called. 

7.  "  You  are  like  a  silly  little  pigeon,  I  used 
to  hear  about,  when  I  was  a  little  girl,"  said  her 
teacher. 

8.  A  bright-eyed  little  girl,  raising  her  right 
hand,  said:  "Oh,  please  tell  us  about  the 
pigeon." 

9.  "The  story,"  replied  Miss  Eaton,  "is,  that 
when  the  pigeon  first  came  into  the  world,  all 
the  other  birds  came  and  offered  to  teach  her 
how  to  build  a  nest. 

10.  "The  cat-bird  showed  her  its  nest,  all 
made  of  sticks  and  bark ;  and  the  sparrows 
showed  theirs,  which  were  woven  with  moss 
and  hair.  But  the  pigeon,  walking  about  in  a 
very  vain  way,  and  turning  her  head  from  side 
to  side,  said  :  '  I  know  how !  /  know  how  to 
build  my  nest  as  well  as  the  best  of  you  !' 

11.  "Then  the  blackbird  showed  her  nest, 
which  was  fastened  to  some  reeds,  and  swung 
over  the  water;  and  the  turtle-dove  said  hers 
was  easier  to  build  than  all,  for  it  was  quite  flat, 
and  made  only  of  sticks  laid  together.     But  the 


80 


NATIONAL    SECOND    READER. 


pigeon  turned  lier  pretty  head  as  before,  and 
said,  '  /know  bow  !' 

12.  ''At  last,  the  birds  all  left  her.  Then 
the  pigeon  fonnd  that  she  did  not  know  how  at 
all ;  and  she  went  without  a  nest,  until  man  took 
pity  on  her,  and  built  a  pigeon-house,  and  put 
some  hay  into  it. 

13.  "Now,  children,  though  the  story  of  the 
pigeon  is  only  a  fable,  and  not  true,  yet  you 
may  learn  from  it  a  very  useful  lesson. 

14.  "Little  boys  and  girls,  who  are  vain 
boasters,  are  laughed  at  by  others,  and  only 
deceive  themselves.  Like  the  silly  pigeon,  they 
say,  '  I  know  how  !'  but  they  often  find,  to  their 
sorrow,  when  it  is  too  late,  that  they  do  not. 

15.  "  Eemember,  my  dear  children,  that  when 
you  once  learn  to  do  any  thing  well,  you  wUl 
not  need  to  boast  of  it." 


LESSON     XXII. 


Suffered,  felt  pam. 

Bur  ied  (bSr' rid),  put   into    a 

grave. 
Hard'  sliips,  sufferings  from 

want  or  fatigue. 
Wan  dered  (w&n'  derd),  went 

from  place  to  place. 


O  bliged  (obligdO,  forced. 

In  firm.',  not  fii-m  or  sound ; 
weak  ;  feeble. 

Fall  en  (fil'ln)  sunk  into  a  low- 
er or  worse  condition. 

Com' fort  able,  having  ease, 
or  enjoyment. 


LITTLE    NELL. 


81 


LITTLE    NELL. 

T"  ITTLE  Nell  was  a  pretty  and  a  very  lovely 
-^-^  little  child.  She  had  lost  her  father,  her 
mother,  and  her  grandmother.  She  lived  with 
her  grandfather,  who  had  iDeen  rich,  lout  was 
now  very  poor. 

2.  Her  grandfather  was  old,  and  had  he- 
come  very  childish ;  hut  he  loved  little  Nell 
dearly.  She  was  a  good  little  girl,  and  loved 
her  grandfather  very  much,  and  took  great  care 
of  him. 


NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


3.  Her  grandfatlier  had  fallen  into  bad  com- 
pany, who  cheated  him,  and  took  away  every- 
thing that  he  had.  He  was  obliged  to  sell  his 
house,  and  when  he  left  it,  he  took  little  Nell 
with  him. 

4.  Little  Nell  was  very  nnhappy,  when  she 
learned  that  she  had  to  give  np  her  comfort- 
able home.  Her  grandfather  now  had  no  house 
to  live  in,  and  he  did  not  know  where  to  go. 

5.  But  both  were  obliged  to  leave  the  house, 
as  I  have  said.  They  wandered  about,  not 
knowing  any  day  where  they  should  lie  down 
to  sleep,  or  spend  the  night. 

6.  Little  Nell  never  left  her  grandfather. 
She  took  hold  of  his  hand  and  led  him,  and 
wherever  he  wished  to  go,  she  went  with  him. 
She  never  would  eat  or  drink,  until  she  saw 
that  her  dear  old  grandfather  had  something 
first ;  nor  would  she  lie  down  to  sleep  at  night, 
until  he  had  lain  down,  and  was  sound  asleep. 

7.  Little  Nell  and  her  grandfather  wandered 
about  many  days  and  nights,  and  met  a  great 
many  hardships.  Often  they  went  whole  days 
without  food.  When  they  could  not  find  good, 
kind  people  to  take  them  into  their  houses, 
they  would  sleep  in  bams  or  sheds,  and  some- 
times in  the  open  air. 


LITTLE    NELL.  83 


8.  Often  they  met  with  wicked  people,  who 
made  sport  with  her  poor  old  grandfather. 
This  made  little  J^ell  verj  nnhappy.  She  did 
not  care  for  herself.  All  that  she  wanted  was 
to  see  her  dear  grandfather  happy. 

9.  He,  too,  did  not  care  about  himself.  He 
wanted  his  dear  little  N'ell  to  be  happy.  But 
he  was  so  old  and  infirm,  that  he  did  not  loiow 
how  much  poor  little  IN'ell  suffered  for  his  sake. 

10.  After  wandering  about  for  a  long  time, 
they  found  a  poor  schoolmaster,  who  took  pity 
on  them.  He  found  a  home  for  them  near  a 
country  church,  where  little  ISTell  made  herself 
useful  for  a  short  time. 

11.  But  her  long  sufferings  atid  hardships  had 
worn  out  this  dear  little  girl.  She  became  very 
ill.  Her  dear  grandfather  sat  by  her  bedside, 
holding  her  hand,  and  looking  at  her  from 
morning  to  night,  but  he  was  too  old  to  under- 
stand how  ill  she  was. 

12.  Little  Nell  did  not  live  long.  She  died, 
and  was  buried  in  the  church-yard.  Her  grand- 
father used  to  go  out  to  the  church-yard  every 
day,  and  sit  by  her  grave.  At  last,  he  died  too, 
and  was  buried  by  her  side. 


J 


84 

NATIOI^AL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

ARTICULATION. 

JaJe, 

Jale,          Jane ;        Jad,         Jack, 

Jand; 

Jard, 

Jarge,       Jark ;        Jail,         Jald, 

Jalk ; 

Jeam, 

Jeard,       Jeat  ;        Jet,          Jend, 

Jent. 

LESSON     XXIII. 

Trudged  (trugd),  traveled  on  ;  Ren'  der,  to  give  back 

foot. 
Bruised  (br6zd),  mangled  or 

crushed  by  a  blow. 
Clum'  sy,  awkward  ;  ill-made. 
Crys'  tal,  the  glass  of  a  watch. 
Cost'  ly,  of  great  price. 


Object',  to  oppose. 
Per  ceived',  understood. 
In  dulge',  yield  to  one's  wishes. 
Ac'  ci  dent,  what  happens  by 

chance. 
Tempt'  ed,  enticed  to  evil. 


THE    BROKEN    WATCH. 

'^TT^ATHER,"  said  Henry,   one  day,  to  Mr. 
-■-       Barnes,  as  they  were  coming  from  the 
farm-yard,  ''  is  it  time  to  go  to  school  yet  ?" 

2.  Mr.  Barnes,  looking  at  his  watch,  replied, 
''  Yes,  my  son.  You  have  a  mile  and  a  half  to 
walk,  and  it  is  now  a  quarter  past  eight  o'clock. 
Your  school  begins  at  nine,  and  I  would,  on  no 
account,  have  you  late  at  school." 

3.  '^  I  never  should  5e  late,  father,  if  I  had  a 
watch,  to  see  what  time  it  is.  Why  will  you 
not  let  me  have  yours  to  carry,  so  that  I  may 
always  know  the  time  ?" 


THE    BEOKEN    WATCH.  85 

4.  '^I  should  not  object  to  your  having  my 
watch,  Henry,-"  said  his  father,  "  did  I  not  know 
that  you  could  not  take  proper  care  of  it.  A 
watch  must  be  handled  very  carefully.  Run- 
ning and  jumping  and  many  games  in  which 
boys  indulge,  would  stop  the  watch,  and  ren- 
der it  of  no  use  to  you.  When  you  are  older, 
I  shall  be  happy  to  buy  a  watch  for  you." 

5.  *'  O  father,  if  you  will  only  let  me  wear  it 
to-day,  I  will  be  very  careful  with  it,  and  will 
not  run  nor  jump,  nor  do  any  thing  that  would 
hurt  it." 

6.  Mr.  Barnes  was  a  rich  man,  and  though 
the  watch  was  a  very  costly  one,  he  thought  that 
a  good  lesson  would  be  of  more  value  to  his  son, 
than  the  price  of  the  watch. 

7.  He  therefore  said,  '^Well,  Henry,  you 
"shall  have  my  watch  for  a  week,  and  I  will  see 
how  true  you  are  to  your  word."  He  then 
handed  the  watch  to  his  son,  who  put  it  care- 
fully into  his  vest-pocket,  and  trudged  off  to 
school. 

8.  On  his  way,  he  was  met  by  a  school-mate 
whose  name  was  Charles  Brown.  Charles,  see- 
ing the  chain  of  the  watch  hanging  from  Hen- 
ry's pocket,  said  to  him,  "  How  proud  you  seem 
to  be  with  your  watch,  Henry  Barnes.     I  do 


86  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 

not  Relieve  you  have  anj.  You  only  let  that 
chain  hang  out  of  your  pocket  to  make  people 
think  you  have  a  watch." 

9.  Henry  at  once  pulled  the  watch  from  his 
pocket,  to  show  Charles  that  it  was  a  real  watch, 
and  that  it  kept  time.  Charles  asked  Henry  to 
show  him  the  inside  of  the  watch,  and  Henry, 
unwilling  to  deny  what  he  thought  so  small 
a  favor,  very  kindly  handed  it  to  him. 

10.  Charles  was  a  clumsy  hoj.  In  trying  to 
open  the  watch,  it  slipped  from  his  hands,  and 
fell  with  its  face  downwards  on  a  large  rock,  on 
which  the  Joys  were  standing. 

11.  When  Henry  took  it  up,  the  crystal,  or 
glass,  was  broken,  the  face  was  much  bruised, 
and  the  hands  had  &oth  fallen  oif,  and  could 
not  &e  found.  The  two  5oys  searched  all 
around  the  rock,  and  on  the  ground,  to  find 
the  two  hands,  and  at  last  Henry  Bariies  was 
obliged  to  go  to  school  without  them. 

12.  The  fall  of  the  watch  had  stopped  it, 
though  Henry  did  not  perceive  that  it  did  not 
go,  until  he  arrived  at  the  school -house  and 
found  that  school  had  Segun  half  an  hour  before. 

13.  AVhen  Henry  returned  home  th^t  day, 
he  was  ashamed  to  see  his  father' s  face  ;  hut 
his  father,  who  had  expected  some  such  acci- 


OWLS.  87 


dent,  asked  him  how  lie  was  pleased  with  the 
watch.    Henry  then  told  him  the  whole  truth. 

14.  ^'  Now,"  said  his  father,  "  I  hope  you  will 
Relieve  me  when  I  tell  you,  that  you  ought  not 
to  have  any  thing  which  is  denied  to  you.  Try 
always,  my  son,  when  you  are  tempted  to  ask 
for  such  things,  to  remem&er  the*  story  of  the 
broken  watch." 


ARTICULATION 

d. 

dale. 

dame,      ds.te ;        dsirk. 

<^arn, 

6?art ; 

^id. 

dim,        dish ;         dole. 

dome. 

doze; 

due, 

duke,      tZupe ;        ^Z uck. 

dull, 

dust. 

LESSON     XXIV. 

Beak  (b^k),  the  bill  of  a  bird.     I  Daz'  zled,  overcome  by  light. 
Prey  (pri),  what  is  caught  bv  Plu'  mage,  feathers  of  a  bird. 

wild  animals  for  food.  |  De  press',  let  fall. 

Ges'  tures,  motions.  I  In'  stan  ces,  examples. 

Pu'pil  (of  the  eye),  center  of    Inhab'it,  to  dwell  in. 

the  eye.  |  Prej '  u  dice ,  an  opinion  formed 

Ruins  (rS'inz),  buildings  that  i      without  just  cause. 

have  fallen  to  pieces.  Dis  tin'  guish,  to  perceive. 


o 


OWLS. 

WLS  inhabit  most  parts  of  the  world.     They 
make  their  nests  in  ruins,  high  towers,  smd 


88 


JVTATIOIS^AL    SECOND    EEADER. 


old  trunks  of  trees.     One  'kind  of  owl  5ften  lays 
its  eggs  in  the  nests  of  other  bir<^s. 

2.  The  piipils  of  their 
eyes  are  very  large,  and 
a^^mit  so  much  light, 
that  they  are  dsizzled 
hy  dsLj,  an^are  better 
able  to  ^distinguish  ob- 
jects at  night.  Their 
eyes  look  forwar^^  an^i^ 
are  surroun(^e<^  by  cir- 
cles of  feathers. 

3.  Their  beak  is  curve<^,  an<^  the  openings  of 
their  ears  have  a  piece  of  skin  half  roun^Z  them, 
like  what  is  calle<^  the  flap  or  conch  of  a  man's 
ear.  The  head  is  large,  the  skull  thick,  and 
hollow  places  in  it  increase  their  power  of  hear- 
ing, which  is  so  great  that  they  can  (detect  the 
slightest  sounds. 

4.  The  color  of  owls  varies  from  white  to  a 
very  ^ark  brown,  gray,  and  buff,  and  most  of 
them  are  marke^Z  with  beautiful  spots.  The 
legs  of  the  greater  number  are  featherecZ  to  the 
toes  ;  and  they  can  bring  their  outer  toe  back- 
ward an^Z  forwar^Z  as  they  please.  Several 
kin^Zs  of  owls  have  tufts  of  feathers,  called 
egrettes,    just  over  their    ears    on  the  top  of 


OWLS.  89 


their  head,  wMch  they  can  raise  or  depress  at 
pleasure. 

5.  The  plumage  of  these  bir^^s  is  loose,  soft, 
smd  fine,  so  that  they  make  little  or  no  noise 
in  flying.  They  seMom  feed  on  dead  things. 
They  eat  small  bir^Zs,  though  they  much  pre- 
fer mice,  of  which  they  devour  immense  num- 
bers. 

6.  When  they  have  young,  they  will  bring  a 
mouse  to  the  nest  every  few  minutes.  They 
do  not  stop  to  pluck  off  hair  or  feathers  from 
their  prey,  and,  with  the  bones,  these  form 
lumps  in  the  stomach,  which  they  throw  up  by 
the  mouth  when  they  please. 

7.  The  odd  gestures  of  an  owl  are  most  laugh- 
able, when  attacked  by  day,  or  when  it  tries 
to  see  any  thing  in  a  full  light.  Nothing  can 
be  more  sad  than  its  cry  in  the  silence  of  the 
night.  The  soun^Z  hear^  so  often  near  its  nest, 
wliich  has  been  taken  for  snoring,  is  only  the 
cry  of  the  young  for  food. 

8.  There  is  a  -prejudice  against  owls,  from 
the  story,  that  they  get  into  pigeon-houses  and 
(destroy  young  loirds.  But  some  have  thought 
that,  in  most  instances,  rats  and  mice  are  the 
mur^Zerers,  an^Z  not  the  innocent  owl ;  and  this 
is  probably  true. 


90 


NATIOIS^AL    SECOND    EEADER. 


9.  Certain  it  is,  that  all  little  bir^Zs  liave  a 
great  enmity  toward  owls.  They  will  assem- 
ble in  great  numbers,  an<^,  fiercely  attacking 
them,  <^rive  them  away ;  for  no  creatures  fight 
more  fiercely  than  many  small  bircZs. 


ARTICU  LATION  . 

9- 

^ale,  g^ge,         ^ate;  ^ave,  ^a^,  ^ad ; 

^rd,  ^irl,  p'irth ;  go,  ^old,  ^ore ; 

ba^,  ke^,  be^/;  pe^,  bi^,  wi^. 


LESSON     XXV. 


Par'  lors,  sitting-rooms. 
Cham'  bers,  upper  rooms. 
Mir'rors,  looking-glasses. 
Sta'ble,  a  shed  for  beasts. 
Coars'  est,  meanest ;  cheapest, 
Kitch'  en,  a  room  for  cooking. 
Curtain  (k^r'tin),  a  hanging 
cloth  before  a  window. 


Cel'  lar,  a  room  under  a  house. 
Roast'  ed,  cooked  before  a  fire. 
Re  spect'  ed,  honored. 
Li'  bra  ry,  a  room  for  books. 
Veg' e  ta  bles,   plants    raised 

for  food. 
Draw'  ing-rooms,roomsused 

for  company. 


RICH    AND    POOR    CHI  LDREN. 

T"  ITTLE  boys  and  ^rls,  who  have  kind  par- 
"-^-^  ents  and  pleasant  homes,  do  not  think  how 
other  little  boys  and  ^Is  live. 


EICH    AND    POOE    CHILDREN.  91 

2.  Some  of  my  little  readers,  perhaps,  live  in 
larf^e  houses,  with,  many  rooms  in  them.  They 
have  lar^e  kitchens,  where  the  cooking  is  done. 
There  bread  is  made,  and  puddings  and  pies, 
and  cake  also,  and  nice  meat  is  roasted. 

3.  They  also  have  rooms  in  the  house  where 
the  clothes  are  washed,  and  bathing-rooms,  with 
hot  and  cold  water,  where  all  the  family  may 
wash  and  bathe  themselves. 

4.  Then  there  are  fine  lar^e  cellars,  where 
apples  and  potatoes,  and  other  vegetables,  may 
be  kept.  They  have  barns  and  stables,  and 
wood-houses  and  coal-bins. 

5.  Then  they  have  lar^/e  chambers  to  sleep 
in,  and  parlors,  and  drawing-rooms,  and  dining- 
rooms,  and  a  library,  where  the  books  and 
newspapers  are  kept. 

6.  In  their  houses,  there  are  beds,  bedsteads, 
chairs,  tables  of  all  kinds,  mirrors,  curtains  to 
the  windows,  and  blinds  or  shiitters  to  keep  out 
the  sun  by  day,  and  the  cold  by  night. 

7.  While  the  children  of  the  rich  see  all  these 
things  and  enjoy  them,  they  must  remember 
that  there  are  very  many  children,  full  as  ^ood 
as  themselves,  who  live  in  small,  low,  and  dark 
dwellings.  They  eat  the  coarsest  food,  and 
can  scarcely  obtain  enough  of  that.     They  have 


92  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 

no  slioes  nor  stockings,  nor  warm  caps  in  win- 
ter, nor  cool  hats  in  summer,  to  protect  them 
from  the  cold  and  the  heat. 

8.  When  you  see  other  children  thus  de- 
prived of  so  many  comforts,  you  should  pity 
them,  and  speak  kindly  to  them,  and  do  all  the 
^ood  to  them  that  you  can. 

9.  Many  of  these  poor  children,  who  have  so 
few  comforts  when  they  are  young,  become 
wise  and  learned  and  ^eat  men.  Everybody 
looks  up  to  them.  Kings  and  queens  and 
princes  are  ,^lad  to  know  them,  and  they  are 
respected  by  every  one. 

10.  In  the  next  lesson,  you  will  read  about 
such  a  poor  boy. 


ARTICULATION 

yade. 

J- 
yane,       ^ack ;       J^'am, 

yet, 

yest ; 

yib, 

yig,         yilt ;         join, 

joint. 

joi&t ; 

yoke, 

jole,        jolt ;        iudge. 

>mp, 

jimk. 

LESSON     XXVI. 


Tent,  canvas  stretched  on  poles. 

Fence,  a  wall,  hedge,  or  some- 
thing made  of  wood  or  iron, 
to  guard  land  from  animals. 


Oat'-meal,  ground  oats. 
Stud'  led,  learned  with  care. 
Sup  port',  to  hold  up. 
Com' fort  a  ble, enjoying  ease. 


HUGH    MILLEE.  93 


HUGH    MILLER. 

rp  HERE  was  a  poor  little  Iboj  in  Scotland,  not 
-*-     many  years  ago,  wlio  had  very  little  to  eat 
or  drink,  and  scarcely  any  comfortable  cloth- 
ing. 

2.  His  par'ents  were  very  poor.  He  had  to 
stay  away  from  school,  most  of  the  time,  to 
work  hard  to  support  himself  and  his  father's 
family. 

3.  When  old  enough  to  work  all  day,  he 
had  to  make  fences  and  walls  of  great  heavy 
stones.  Sometimes  he  had  to  sleep  out,  where 
the  rain  fell  upon  him  during  the  night.  He 
had  nothing  to  eat  but  a  little  oatmeal,  which  he 
was  obliged  himself  to  cook,  when  he  wanted 
his  breakfast,  his  dinner,  or  his  supper. 

4.  When  he  had  done  a  hard  day's  work,  in- 
stead of  playing  with  other  boys  and  men  with 
whom  he  worked,  he  used  to  take  such  books 
as  he  could  find,  and  go  into  his  tent  by  him- 
self to  read  them. 

5.  He  found  it  not  easy  to  procure  books  ; 
but,  when  he  could  get  one,  he  would  read  it 
through,  and  study  it  well,  until  he  knew  all 
that  was  in  it. 

6.  In  this  way,  he  worked  and  studied  for  a 


94  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEB. 

number  of  years,  until  lie  "became  quite  a  wise 
man.  He  was  a  mere  stone-mason,  but  lie  be- 
came so  good  a  scholar,  that  many  great  men 
said  they  wished  they  could  talk  and  writ^  as 
well  as  he  did. 

7.  !N"ow,  this  man,  who  was  the  poor  boy  you 
have  Just  read  about,  is  one  of  the  most  learned 
men  in  the  world.  Every  one  who  knows  him, 
looks  up  to  him  with  respect.  Wherever  he 
goes,  he  is  treated  with  great  kindness  and  at- 
tention. Every  one  who  goes  where  he  is,  is 
happy  to  see  and  know  him.  His  name  is 
Hugh  Miller,  and  he  stiQ  lives  in  Scotland. 


ARTICULATION 

Zake, 

Zame, 

Z. 

Zate ;         Zamp, 

Zand, 

Zash ; 

Zard, 

Zarge, 

Zark ;        Zet, 

Zess, 

Zend; 

Zife, 

Zight, 
L 

Zike ;         Zift, 

Zip, 
1. 

Zive. 

ESSON     XXVI 

Knowl'  edge,  learning. 
Bri'ers,  prickly  shrubs. 
Choic'  est,  most  precious. 
Health'  y,  free  from  sickness. 
Tend'  ed,  watched ;  waited  on. 


Re  sem'  ble,  to  be  like. 
Mis  for'  tune,  ill-luck  ;  evil. 
A  bund' ant,  plentiful. 
Cul'ti  va  ted,  carefully  tilled 
Priv'  i  lege,  special  advantage. 


GAEDEN^    OVERRUN    WITH    WEEDS.  95 


A    GARDEN    OVERRUN    WITH    WEEDS. 

Harry,  Father,  I  don't  Zike  to  go  to  school. 
I  wish  you  would  Zet  me  stay  at  home  this 
morning.  CharZes  French's  father  does  not 
obZige  him  to  go  to  schooZ. 

Father.  Give  me  your  hand,  Harry.  Come 
with  me.  I  wish  to  show  you  something  in  the 
garden.  See  how  fineZy  these  peas  are  grow- 
ing !  How  cZean  and  heaZthy  the  vines  Zook ! 
Do  you  think  we  shaZZ  have  an  abundant 
crop  ? 

Harry.  Oh  yes,  father  !  There  is  not  a  weed 
about  their  roots ;  and  those  Zittle  poZes,  or 
bushes,  stuck  in  the  ground,  hoZd  them  up,  so 
that  they  have  a  fine  chance  to  grow. 

Father.  Now,  go  with  me  across  the  road,  to 
Zook  at  Mr.  French' s  pea- vines,  through  a  Zarge 
opening  in  his  garden -fence.  WeZZ,  my  son, 
what  do  you  think  now  of  Mr.  French's  pea- 
vines  % 

Harry.  O  father!  I  never  saw  such  poor- 
Zooking  peas  in  my  Zife !  There  are  no  sticks 
for  them  to  run  upon,  and  the  weeds  are  nearZy 
as  high  as  the  peas  themseZves.  There  wiZZ  not 
be  half  a  crop  on  them. 


96  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 

Father.  Why  are  they  so  mucli  worse  than 
ours,  Harry? 

Harry,  Because  they  have  been  Zeft  to  grow 
as  they  pZease.  I  suppose  Mr.  French  just 
planted  them,  and  never  took  any  care  of  them 
afterward.  He  has  neither  taken  out  the  weeds 
nor  trained  them  to  grow  right. 

Father,  Yes,  that  is  the  truth,  my  son.  A 
garden  ynll  soon  he  overrun  with  weeds  and 
briers,  if  it  is  not  tiZZed  with  the  greatest  care. 
Children's  minds  are  Zike  garden-beds,  and  they 
must  be  more  carefu^Zy  tended  than  the  choicest 
plants. 

If  you,  my  son,  were  never  to  go  to  schooZ, 
nor  to  have  good  seeds  of  knowledge  planted 
in  your  mind,  when  you  become  a  man,  it  would 
resembZe  this  weedy  bed  in  Mr.  French's  Zand, 
rather  than  the  beautifuZ  one  in  my  garden. 
Would  you  think  me  right  to  negZect  my  gar- 
den as  Mr.  French  has  negZected  his  ? 

Harry.  Oh  no,  father!  Your  garden  is  a 
fine  garden ;  but  Mr.  French's  is  all  overrun 
with  weeds  and  briers.  It  wiZZ  not  yieZd  half  as 
much  as  yours. 

Father.  Do  you  think,  my  son,  it  would 
be  right  for  me  to  negZect  my  chiZd  as  Mr. 
French   negZects   his,   and    aZZow  him   to    run 


GAEDEK    OVEERUN    WITH    WEEDS.  97 


wild,  and  Ms  mind  to  become  overgrown  with 
weeds  ? 

I  send  you  to  school,  in  order  that  the  gar- 
den of  your  mind  may  have  good  seed  sown 
in  it,  and  that  these  seeds  may  spring  up  and 
grow,  and  yieM  a  good  crop.  Now,  which 
would  you  prefer,  to  stay  at  home  from  school, 
and  let  the  garden  of  your  mind  he  overrun 
with  weeds,  or  to  go  to  school,  and  have  this 
garden  cuMvated  ? 

Harry.  I  would  rather  go  to  schooZ.  I  wdl 
never  again  ask. to  stay  at  home  from  school. 
But,  father,  is  CharZes  French's  mind  overrun 
with  weeds  % 

Father.  I  am  afraid  that  it  is.  If  not,  it 
sureZy  wiZZ  he,  if  his  father  does  not  send  him 
to  schooZ.  For  a  Zittle  hoy  not  to  be  sent  to 
schooZ,  is  a  great  misfortune,  and  I  hope  you 
wiZZ  think  the  priviZege  of  going  to  schooZ  a 
very  great  one  indeed. 


ARTICU  LATION. 


m. 
make,     wane,       mate;       march,     mark,      marl; 
?7iask,      mass,        mast;       m-et,         melt,       mend 
mile,       mild,        mind;      mode, 


98  KATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


LESSON      XXVIII 


O'  val,  the  shape  of  an  egg. 

Clos'  et,  a  small  private  room. 

Rai  sins  (r^'  znz),  dried  grapes. 

Worn  an  (w6m'  an),  the  female 
of  the  human  race. 

Re  fresh' ing,  reviving;  giv- 
ing new  strength. 


Conn'  tries,  parts  of  the  earth. 
Prnit  er  er  (frSt'er  er),  one  who 

sells  fruit. 
Green'  -house,  a  place  where 

tender  plants  are  protected. 
Season  (sh'  zn),  a  part  of*  the 

year  ;  a  portion  of  time. 


GRAPES. 

''"A /rOTHER,"  said  little  Ann  Dorman,  one 
-^-^    mommg,  ^'msij  I   have   some  of  the 
grapes  in  the  fniit-dish,  in  the  closet?" 

2.  '''No,  my  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Dor772an ;  "I 
wish  to  send  them  to  the  poor  woman  down  in 
the  lane.  She  is  very  ill,  and  it  is  not  likely 
that  she  will  live  long.  She  is  so  ill  that  the 
doctor  does  not  allow  her  to  eat  much. 

3.  "A  few  grapes  will  iDe  very  refreshing  to 
her,  and  you  can  eat  cake,  or  nuts,  or  apples, 
which  she  can  not  eat.  Grapes  are  very  dear 
at  this  season  of  the  year,  and  the  poor  woman 
can  not  afford  to  buy  them." 

4.  "  Why  are  grapes  dear  at  this  season  of 
the  yearf  said  Ann  to  her  mother.  "  Because, 
my  dear,'"  said  Mrs.  Dorman,  "it  is  difficult  to 
keep  them  so  long.  They  will  rot  and  spoil, 
unless  they  are  kept  with  great  care." 

5.  ''But,   mother,   I  have  seen  them  at  the 


GRAPES.  99 


windows,  in  the  grocers'  shops,  all  the  year 
round."  ''  Yes,  my  child,  and  when  they  are 
scarce  they  are  very  dear.  The  grocer  and  the 
fruiterer  take  great  pains  to  keep  them,  because 
they  know  they  will  be  wanted  for  the  sick; 
and,  in  very  cold  weather,  they  are  paid  a  high 
price  for  them." 

6.  "But  why,  mother,  did  not  the  poor 
woman  have  them  in  her  garden,  and  keep 
them,  until  cold  weather^  Father  took  a 
great  deal  of  pains  to  make  his  grapes  grow, 
and  now  we  have  some  still." 

7.  "The  poor  woman  has  not  a  garden  fit  to 
raise  grapes  in,  mj  dear.  Your  father  trains  his 
vines,  with  great  care,  in  a  green-house,  and  it 
costs  a  great  deal  of  time  and  money  to  keep  a 
green-house. 

8.  "  The  grapes  which  you  see  in  the  shops, 
are  seldom  the  same  as  those  which  you  see  in 
our  green-houses.  Our  grapes  are  round.  Most 
of  the  grapes  which  you  see  in  the  shops  are 
oval,  or  shaped  very  much  like  an  Qgg.^'^ 

9.  "Mother,  where  do  the  oval  grapes  grow, 
if  not  in  a  green-house?"  "Many  grapes,  mj 
child,  are  brought  in  ships  from  a  great  dis- 
tance. They  are  packed  in  saw-dust  very  care- 
fully, in  long  jars,  to  prevent  their  being  bruised. 


100 


NATIONAL    SECOND    READER. 


10.  "Many  fruits,  sucli  as  lemons,  oranges, 
grapes,  figs,  currants,  and  raisins,  are  brought 
in  sMps  over  the  water  from  distant  countries. 
They  all  have  a  certain  season  in  which  they 
are  ripe,  and  when  the  season  is  past  they  be- 
coTne  scarce  and  are  dear. 

11.  "When  you  study  Geography,  you  will 
learn  what  countries  all  these  fruits  come  from, 
and  where  these  countries  are,  and  all  about 
the  people  who  live  in  them."  "O  mother," 
said  Ann,  "I  long  to  study  Geography,  that  I 
may  know  all  about  these  things." 

12.  Ann  did  not  forget  what  she  had  thus 
learnt  about  grapes.  When  her  teacher  gave 
her  a  lesson  in  Geography,  she  studied  it  very 
carefully  ;  and  when  she  was  twelve  years  old 
she  could  tell  where  all  kinds  of  fruit  came 
from,  and  could  find  the  places  where  they 
grew,  on  the  map,  and  tell  all  about  the  people 
who  live  in  those  countries. 


ARTICU  LATION. 


71. 


^ame, 
Tieck, 
nice, 
north. 


Tiail, 
nest, 
night, 
niche. 


Tiave; 
net; 
nine; 
noise ; 


nag, 
next, 
no, 
notch, 


nap, 
nerve, 
node, 
noose. 


neat 


nurse 


lymph. 


WILLIAM    THE    COirQUEEOE. 


XOl 


LESSON     XXIX 


Courts, places  where  judges  sit. 

Hunt'  ing,  chasing  of  game. 

King'dom,  a  country  ruled 
by  a  king. 

For  est  (fSr'  est),  a  large  tract 
of  land  covered  with  trees. 

Lan'  guage  (l&ng'  gwaj),  hu- 
man speech. 

Eng  land  (fng' gland),  a  coun- 
try west  of  Europe. 

Sub' jects, those  who  are  under 
the  rule  of  a  king  or  ruler. 


Ty'  rant,  a  cruel  master. 
Vil'lage,  a  small  number  of 

houses. 
Con  quer  or  (k6ng'  ker  or), 

one  who  gains  a  victory. 
Dif  fer  ent,  distinct ,  unlike. 
Cur  few-beU   (kir'  fu),    the 

evening  bell,  in  England. 
E  ven  ing  (e'vn  ing),  latter  part 

of  the  day. 
Com  pan'  ions,  those  who  are 

much  together. 


WILLIAM    THE    CONQUEROR. 

A  GREAT  -msinj  years  ago,  tliere  was  a  king 
--^-^  in  EnglaTid  whose  -^ame  was  William. 
They  called  him  William  the  Conqueror,  l)ut 
he  ought  also  to  l)e  called  a  tjiant. 

2.  He  made  a  law,  that  all  of  his  subjects 
should  put  out  their  fire  aTzd  lights,  at  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evemng,  and  go  to  bed.  He 
ordered  a  large  bell  to  be  rung  at  that  hour,  to 
let  the  people  know  when  it  was*  eight  o'clock. 

3.  The  bell  was  called  the  curfew-bell,  be- 
cause the  word  curfew  mea/is  to  cover  up  the 
fire,  and  the  fire  was  to  be  covered  up,  or  put 
out,  as  sooTi  as  this  bell  was  rung. 

4.  This  king  also  made  his  subjects  speak 


[log  ISTATIOTS^AL:   SECOND    EEADER. 

a  different  language  from  their  own,    in   the 
cliurcli,  in  the  courts,  and  in  schools. 

6.  But  the  worst  thing  that  he  did  was  to 
make  what  was  called  the  New  Forest.  He 
and  his  compamoTis  were  very  foTid  of  huTZ^ting 
wild  beasts,  and  he  waT^ted  a  place  where  he 
might  en^oj  himself  with  his  compaTiioTis  in 
huTzting. 

6.  To  make  his  new  forest,  he  pulled  down 
all  the  houses  and  churches,  and  drove  out  all 
the  people  who  lived  in  a  large  part  of  the 
kingdom.  He  then  had  trees  set  out,  aT^d  wild 
beasts  put  i?ito  the  forest,  that  he  might  hu?zt 
them. 

7.  Many  people  were  thus  driveTZ.  away 
from  their  happy  homes.  More  thaTZ,  thirty- 
six  churches  were  pulled  dowTz,  aTid  whole 
towns  and  villages  were  laid  waste  to  make  a 
place  for  wild  beasts  to  live  in,  that  he  might 
pursue  them  and  kill  them  there. 

8.  But  this  Avicked  king  did  not  go  uTipuTi- 
ished.  Two  of  his  sotis  and  one  of  his  graM- 
soTis  were  killed  in  the  new  forest.  The  naiae 
of  his  first  eon,  that  was  killed  in  the  forest, 
was  Richard,  and  the  naiae  of  his  graTidson, 
who  was  killed  there,  was  also  Eichard. 

9.  His  other  so7i,  who  was  killed  in  the  new 


BIEDS    IN    WIIS^TEE. 


103 


forest,  was  called  William  Rufus,  because  lie 
had  red  hair.  The  word  Rufus  meaTis  red, 
and  William  Rufus  meaTis  William  the  Red. 

10.  -This  wicked  king,  who  made  the  72,ew 
forest,  was  killed  by  a  fall  from  his  horse,  while 
he  was  looking  at  the  burmng  of  a  city,  which 
he  had  ordered  to  be  set  on  fire. 


ARTICULATION. 

^ 

ng. 

hsing, 

gang, 

hsing ;      sang,         le^^th. 

strength; 

hring, 

Gling, 

fling',      ring,          s,ing, 

sliTi^; 

spri7i^, 

thi??^, 

wing;     mng,   '     thong, 

wrong ; 

(^ung, 

Aung, 

lung ;       sprung,     Qtung, 

joung. 

LESSON     XXX. 

Mates,  companions.  I  Hail,  frozen  drops  of  rain. 

Build  (b!ld),  to  put  together.      j  Ad  vised',  tried  to  persuade. 
Pert (p^rt), saucy;  disrespectful,  i  Expect'ed,  looked  for. 

BIRDS    IN    WINTER. 


/^NE  fine  and  warm  momingf  in  winter,  when 
^^  the  snn  shone  brightly,  and  the  air  was  as 
mild  as  a  morniTij^  in  June,  the  little  birds  met 


104  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

together  in  a  beautiful  wood,  where  the  sun 
had  melted  the  snow  away,  and  the  "buds  had 
almost  begun  to  appear  on  the  trees. 

2.  The  little  birds,  enjoying  the  weather, 
thought  the  sipring  had  come,  and  were  in 
great  haste  to  take  their  mates,  and  build  their 
nests. 

3.  But  one  old  bird,  that  had  seen  many 
such  warm  days  in  winter,  advised  them  not  to 
do  so  too  soon.  He  told  them  that  the  snow 
would  come  agaia,  and  the  weather  would  be 
too  cold  for  them  to  build  their  nests,  and  lay 
their  eggs,  and  feed  their  little  young  ones. 

4.  "You  would  better  wait  a  little  longer,^ ^ 
said  this  wise  old  bird,  '^  until  the  snow  and  the 
ice  have  all  gone,  and  the  weather  has  become 
fixed  and  warm." 

5.  While  the  old  bird  was  talMng,  up  jumped 
a  pert  little  goldfinch,  with  a  smooth  head,  like 
satin,  and  beautiful  bright  wings.  He  told  the 
birds  that  he  should  not  mind  what  the  old 
bird  had  said  ;  that  he  was  going  to  take  his 
mate,  and  build  a  nest,  and  that  they  would 
hatch  the  eggs  without  wsiitmg  longer. 

6.  Many  of  the  birds  did  also  as  he  had  said. 
They  took  their  mates,  built  their  nests,  laid 
their  eggs,  and  expected  to  enjoy  themselves, 


BIRDS    IN    WINTER. 


105 


while    tlie    old    birds   were   waitiTZ^   for   fine 
weather. 

7.  But  no  sooner  had  they  laid  their  eggs, 
than  the  cold  wind  began  to  blow.  The  rain, 
the  hail,  and  the  snow  fell  again,  and  filled 
their  nests  with  water  and  ice.  Their  eggs 
were  spoilt,  and  the  silly  birds  themselves 
canght  cold,  and  became  very  ill  and  cross. 
They  quarrelled  sunong  themselves,  and  were 
very  sorry  they  had  not  minded  the  good  ad- 
vice of  the  old  bird. 

8.  Can  you,  my  little  readers,  tell  your 
teacher  what  good  lesson  this  fable  of  the  birds 
teaches  ? 


race 


T'each, 


ARTICU  LATION. 

r. 

rake,    rain ;    rack,   rag, 

ream,   reap;    rent,   rend, 


car. 


far; 


or. 


nor, 


rank; 
rest ; 
war. 


LESSON    XXXI 


Wreath,  a  band  of  flowers  for 

the  head. 
Par'  ty,  a  number  of  persons. 
May'  ing,  gathering  flowers  in 

May,  or  on  May-day. 


Do  nied',  refused. 
Del'  i  cate,  frail ;  not  strong. 
Pre  vent'  ed,  hindered. 
De  cid  ed(de  sid'  ed),  firm  ;  de- 
termined to  have  one's  way. 


106  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEK. 


,  HE    FIRST    DAY    OF    MAY 

A  PARTY  of  little  boys  and  girls  wislied  very 
-^-^  mucli  to  go  out  into  the  country,  on  tlie 
morning  of  the  first  day  of  May,  to  raise  a  May- 
pole, and  choose  a  Queen  of  May. 

2.  The  day  before  had  been  very  windy  and 
rainy,  and  the  weather  was  cold.  No  flowers 
had  yet  appeared,  except  the  snow-drop  and 
the  crocus,  two  flowers  that  spring  up  before 
the  snow  has  wholly  gone. 

3.  Little  Mary  Weston  was  a  pretty  child, 
and  as  good  as  she  was  pretty.  All  her  little 
playmates  loved  her  very  dearly,  and  had  made 
her  the  Queen  of  May. 

4.  Her  parents  were  rery  fond  of  her,  and 
seldom  denied  her  any  thing  that  she  asked. 
But  they  sometimes  did  not  think  how  bad  it 
would  be  for  her  to  have  her  way  in  all  things. 

5.  When  little  Mary  asked  her  parents 
whether  she  might  go  with  the  May  party, 
they  forgot  all  about  the  cold  weather,  and 
gave  her  leave  to  go. 

6.  She  rose  very  early  in  the  morning,  and 
put  on  her  thin,  white,  summer  dress.  Instead 
of  wearing  her  nice  thick  warm  b5nnet,  she 
wore  a  wreath  of  flowers  around  her  head. 


THE    FIEST    DAT    OF    MAY.  107 

7.  All  the  -partj  of  little  boys  and  girls  also 
were  dressed  like  her,  in  their  summer  clothes. 
They  walked  very  happily  out  into  the  country, 
to  enjoy  the  May-day. 

8.  There  was  one  little  girl  belonging  to  the 
party,  whose  mother  told  her,  if  she  went,  that 
she  must  put  on  her  thick  winter  clothes  and 
overshoes.  This  she  did  not  like  to  do,  as  all 
the  other  little  girls  were  clad  in  their  beautiful 
white  summer  dresses. 

9.  Her  mother  was  yerj  decided  with  her, 
however,  and  told  her  she  must  either  stay  at 
home  or  wear  her  warm  dress  and  thick  shoes. 
The  little  girl  not  wishing  to  go  without  being 
dressed  like  the  rest,  remained  at  home. 

10.  The  party  that  went  did  not  enjoy  them- 
selves very  much.  They  found  the  grass  wet, 
and  the  air  cold.  There  were  no  flowers  in 
th-e  fields,  and  scarcely  a  bud  on  the  trees. 
They  were,  therefore,  yery  glad  when  they  got 
home,  and  could  warm  and  dry  themselves  by 
a  nice  warm  fire. 

11.  Many  of  the  party  took  severe  colds  ;  and 
some  of  them  were  very  ill.  One  delicate  little 
girl  was  so  ill  with  a  fever,  that  the  doctor  said 
she  must  die.  This  was  Mary  Weston,  the 
beautiful  little  Queen  of  May. 


108  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 

12.  The  little  girl  who  staid  at  home  was 
very  glad  that  her  mother  had  prevented  her 
joining  the  party,  in  her  summer  clothing.  This 
taught  her  that  when  her  parents  denied  her 
any  thing,  it  was  only  for  her  good. 

13.  The  children  who  read  this  lesson  will 
see  how  much  this  party  who  went  Maying 
were  like  the  little  birds  that  made  their  nests 
too  soon.  You  may  also  learn  that  you  need 
not  only  to  know  what  to  do,  but  the  proper 
time  and  manner  of  doing  it. 


ARTICU  LATION. 

fliat,        ftiis,        fhese ;      those,      fheir,  fhough ; 

thence,    ha6ie,     breafhe;  baflis,      laflis,  mouflis; 

oaflis,      paflis,      lifhe;       blithe,     booth,  wifii. 


LESSON     XXXII. 


Pleas'  ant,  agreeable. 
Tor'pidjSleepy;  without  motion. 
Sub'  stance,  that  which  really 

is  or  exists. 
Twi'  light,  between  daylight 

and  dark. 


Com  posed',  made  of. 
Pur  sue',  to  follow  after. 
In  fest',  to  disturb ;  to  plague. 
Sim'  i  lar,  like. 
An  noy'  ing,     disturbing    or 
vexing  very  often. 


THE    BAT.  109 


THE    BAT. 

rpHE  bat  is  an  animal  thdX  resembles  both  a 
-*-  bird  and  a  mouse.  It  has  wings,  but  no 
feathers,  and  its  wings  are  composed  of  a  thin 
substance,  very  much  like  i^^at  which  is  found 
between  th^  toes  of  a  duck  or  a  goose. 

2.  The  skin  of  fh^  bat  is  like  t7i2X  of  a  mouse. 
Its  eyes  are  very  small,  and  its  sight  is  not  very 
good.  In  th^  daytime,  it  can  scarcely  see  at 
all,  and  i^Aerefore  it  hides  itself  all  if^e  day,  and 
flies  about  during  tTi^  night. 

3.  There  are  many  animals  ^^at  can  see  bet- 
ter in  tM  dark  i^^an  tJi^j  can  by  daylight.  Cats, 
dogs,  and  horses  can  see  as  well  by  night  as  by 
day ;  for  th^  great  God  who  made  i^^em,  has 
given  i^^em  eyes  fitted  for  th^  purpose. 

4.  We  can  not  see  in  th^  dark,  because  our 
eyes  were  made  to  see  only  in  th^  daytime. 
Bats  enter  th^  doors  and  windows  of  houses, 
in  pleasant  summer  evenings.  They  feed  upon 
moths,  flies,  flesh,  and  oily  substances. 

5.  In  tTA^  country,  bats  are  quite  small,  but 
in  some  countries  in  th^  East  th^j  are  very 
large,  and  ^^eir  wings,  when  spread  out,  meas- 
ure five  or  six  feet.    During  t7i^  daytime,  bats 


110  NATIOIS^AL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

do  not  stand  on  tMh  feet,  but  liang  ^^^emselves 
up  by  hooks  on  tMu  wings,  in  the  lofts  of 
barns,  or  in  hollow  or  thickly  leaved  trees. 

6.  Bats  are  of  great  use,  on  account  of  the 
great  number  of  insects  which  tJiQj  pursue  and 
destroy,  wi^A  great  eagerness,  in  tM  morning 
and  evening  twilight. 

7.  When  winter  comes,  tJiQj  seek  shelter  in 
caverns,  vaults,  ruins,  deserted  buildings,  and 
similar  retreats,  where  tJiQj  cling  togejf^er  in 
large  clusters,  and  remain  in  a  torpid  state  until 
tJiQ  returning  spring  warms  ^^em  into  life. 

8.  Though  bats  do  much  good,  by  destroy- 
ing many  unpleasant  and  troublesome  insects, 
tJiej  also  cause  o^^er  insects  to  infest  new 
houses  and  new  furniture.  Th^  red  bugs, 
which  are  so  very  annoying  in  bed-chambers, 
are  found  in  great  numbers  on  bats. 

9.  Bats  often  make  their  lodging  in  chimneys  ; 
and  ^^us  ^^ese  troublesome  insects  get  into  new 
houses  and  on  new  furniture.  For  ^Ms  reason, 
it  is  proper  i^^at  tM  chimneys  be  smoked  in  tJiQ 
summer-time,  to  drive  tJie  bats  and  ^^eir  com- 
panions, tM  red  bugs,  away  from  tM  house. 


UNJUST    BLAME. 


Ill 


ARTICU  LATION 


'yend, 


-yam, 
-yent, 
"woid. 


•yase; 
•yest; 
-yoice 


vsilve, 

t;ice, 

even. 


-yan, 
-yile, 
given, 


-yamp; 

vine; 

vivid. 


LESSON      XXXIII 


Spoiled,  made  useless. 
Earn  (§rn),  to  get  by  labor. 
As  sist',  to  help. 
Sup  pose',  to  tbink. 
Sup  port',  to  provide  for. 


Peo  pie  (p^'pl),  folks ;  persons. 

Pam'ily,  persons  living  to- 
gether in  one  house. 

Bust  ness  (biz'  nes),  that  which 
one  does  for  a  living. 


UNJUST    BLAME. 

Son.  Father,  what  a  naughty,  wicked  man 
Mr.  Smith  is,  who  keeps  the  store  down  in  the 
next  street ! 

FatJter,  What  makes  you  think  him  a  naugh- 
ty, wicked  man,  my  son  ? 

Son,  I  went  to  his  store .  this  morning,  to  get 
some  butter  for  mother.  He  told  me  that  it 
was  twenty-six  cents  a  pound ;  when  I  saw  the 
man  he  bought  it  o/",  and  heard  him  tell  the 
man  that  he  would  gi^e  him  but  twenty  cents 
a  pound  for  it.  IS'ow,  is  not  that  cheating, 
father  \ 


112  JSTATIOIS^AL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

Father.  No,  my  son.  It  is  Mr.  Smitli's  prop- 
er "business  to  sell  things  for  more  than  he  pays 
for  them. 

Bon,  But,  father,  why  should  he  make  people 
pay  more  for  things  than  he  ga?)e  for  them  % 

Father,  Because,  my  dear,  he  keeps  a  store 
for  that  'oery  purpose.  You  know  some  peo- 
ple go  out  to  work,  and  are  paid  for  their  day's 
work  ;  and,  in  that  way  they  get  money  to  buy 
food  and  clothes  for  their  children. 

Bon.  But  Mr.  Smith  does  not  work,  father. 
He  only  keeps  shop ;  and  I  should  think  that 
would  he  fun,  rather  than  work. 

Father,  Whether  you  call  it  fun,  or  work, 
my  dear,  Mr.  Smith  finds  it  tjery  hard  work. 
He  has  to  go  to  his  store  early  in  the  morning, 
and  stay  there  to  tend  his  store  all  day,  and 
sometimes  until  late  at  night. 

He  has  to  hire  his  store,  and  to  pay  the  young 
men  whom  he  has  to  assist  him.  He  has  to  buy 
a  great  many  things  that  people  sometimes  want 
?)ery  much,  and  sometimes  do  not  call  for  in 
time  ;  and  then  they  get  spoiled,  and  Mr.  Smith 
loses  them. 

He  has  a  large  family  of  little  children.  He 
must  get  money  to  feed  and  clothe  them,  and 
buy  them  books,  to  send  them  to  school,  and  to 


UlSTJUST    BLAME.  113 

pay  the  doctor  who  attends  them  when  they 
are  ill. 

As  he  tends  his  store  all  day  long,  he  can  do 
no  other  work  ;  and,  therefore,  he  must  earn  his 
money  to  support  his  family  Iby  buying  things 
of  one  class  of  people,  and  selling  them  at  a 
higher  price  to  others,  who  may  want  them. 

Stores  are  of  great  use,  as  I  suppose  you 
know  very  well.  If  there  were  no  stores,  we 
should  ha^e  to  go  without  many  things  that 
we  want  vqyj  sadly. 

Now,  my  son,  before  you  call  any  one  naugh- 
ty, wicked,  or  a  cheat,  be  'yery  sure  that  what 
you  blame  is  not  '^ery  useful  and  necessary, 
and  what  you  yourself  would  do  if  you  under- 
stood why  it  is  done. 


ARTICU  LATION. 


w, 

t^;age,      -x^jail,         w2k.Q ;      2/jalk,  wsX\.^  wdini ; 

WQ^  i^eak,        WQ2^n ;      i^ell,  ^eld,  went  ; 

widiQ^       -z^ild,         -Mjise;        will,  wm,  wink. 


LESSON     XXXIV. 


Prized,  valued  highly. 
Cost'  ly,  expensive. 
Pub'  lie,  the  people. 


Jew'  els,  precious  stones. 
Ad  mired',  greatly  thought  of. 
Con  sid'  er,  to  think. 


114 


NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


THE    BEST    JEWELS 


A  RICH  lady,  who  had  many  fine  dresses  and 
--^-^  costly  jewels,  wsls  very  fond  of  wesumg 
them  in  public.  She  thought  that  they  -z^ould 
be  admired  hy  every  one. 

3.  One  day  she  paid  a  visit  to  a  Roman 
lady,  and,  showing  her  all  her  fine  jewels, 
told  her  how  c5stly  they  were.  After  she 
had  shown  these  beautiful  rich  jewels  to  the 


THE    BEST    JEWELS.  115 

Roman  lady,  site  found  that  tlie  Koman  lady 
did  not  seem  to  admire  them  so  much  as  she 
expected. 

3.  She  therefore  thought  that  the  Roman 
lady  must  have  some  jewels  more  beautiful 
than  hers,  and  she  asked  the  Roman  lady  to 
show  them  to  her. 

4.  The  Roman  lady  told  her  that  they  ^ere 
not  in  the  house,  but  that  they  -z/jould  be  there 
in  a  short  time,  and  then  she  woioUd  ^how  them 
to  her. 

5.  By  and  by  two  bright  little  boys,  the 
sons  of  the  Roman  lady,  came  into  the  house 
from  school.  The  Roman  lady,  taking  them 
by  the  hand,  led  them  to  the  rich  lady,  and 
pointing  to  them,  she  said,  ''  These  are  my 
jewels,^'' 

6.  Now,  if  any  of  my  little  readers  -z^ish  that 
their  own  kind  mothers  -z^ould  call  them  their 
jewels,  they  must  be  good  boys  and  girls  at 
home  and  at  school.  Then  their  parents  will 
consider  them  as  their  best  and  brightest 
jewels. 

7.  The  name  of  the  Roman  lady  who  prized 
her  sons  above  the  most  costly  jewels  was  Cor- 
nelia. Her  sons  wqtq  called  the  Gracchi ;  and 
they  both  became  great  men. 


116 


NATIONAL    SECOND    READER. 


ARTICU  LATION. 


y- 


2/ard,  2/^^^) 
2/ell,  2/elp, 
2/ou,         2/our, 


yawl; 

2/es; 
2/outli ; 


2/awn, 

2/et, 

year, 


ye, 

2/oke, 

2/east, 


LESSON     XXXV. 


year; 
2/ore; 
yield. 


Crouched,  bent  down  low. 

Twin,  one  of  two  brothers  or 
sisters  of  the  same  age. 

Hap' less,  unlucky. 

Cap'tive,  a  prisoner. 

Flit'  ted,  flew  quickly  by. 

Ach'ing,  suffering  with  con- 
tinued pain. 


Bond' age,   state  of  being  a 

servant. 
Pin'  ion,  the  joint  of  a  bird's 

wing  furthest  from  the  body. 
Be  trayed',  deceived. 
Pris'  on  er,  one  confined. 
Domin'ion,  government. 
Re  pin'ing,mouming;  fretting. 


THE    SORROWFUL    YELLOW-BIRD. 

rpHEY'YE  caught  my  little  brother 
-L     And  he  was  to  me  a  twin  ! 
They  stole  him  from  onr  mother ; 
And  the  cage  has  shut  him  in. 

2.  I  flitted  by  and  found  him, 

Where  he  looked  so  sad  and  sick, 
With  the  gloomy  wires  around  him, 
As  he  crouched  upon  a  stick. 


THE    SOEEOWFUL    YELLOW-BIED.  117 

3.  His  tender  eye  was  sMning 

With  tlie  brightness  of  despair^ 
With  sorrow  and  repining, 
As  he  bade  me  have  a  care  ! 

4.  He  said  they'd  come  and  take  me. 

As  they'd  taken  him  ;  and  then 
A  hopeless  prisoner  make  me, 
In  the  fearful  hands  of  men  : 

5.  That,  once  in  their  dominion, 

I  should  have  to  pine  away, 
And  never  stretch  a  pinion. 
To  my  very  dying  day  : 

6.  That  the  wings  which  God  had  made  him 

For  freedom  in  the  air. 
Since  man  had  thus  betrayed  him, 
WeiG  stiff  and  useless  there. 

7.  And  the  little  darling  fellow. 

As  he  showed  his  golden  breast. 
He  said,  beneath  the  yellow. 
He'd  a  sad  and  aching  breast : 

8.  That,  since  he'd  been  among  them, 

They  had  ruffled  it  so  much. 
The  only  song  he'd  sing  them 
Was  a  shriek  beneath  their  touch. 


118 


natio:n^al  second  readee. 


9.  How  can  they  love  to  see  Mm 
So  sickly  and  so  sad, 
When,  if  they  would  but  free  him, 
He'd  be  so  well  and  glad '? 

10.  My  hapless  little  brother ! 

I  would  fain  his  bondage  share : 
I  never  had  another  ; 
And  he's  a  captive  there  ! 


ARTICULATION 


0eal, 

sest. 

^inc; 

sone, 

sion. 

sebra; 

bla^e, 

bra^e, 

breeze ; 

erase, 

dose. 

freese ; 

fm. 

ga^e. 

gra^e; 

mase. 

gla^e, 

prise. 

LESSON     XXXV 


Re'  al,  true. 

Suf  fer,  to  bear  ;  to  endure. 

Poi'  soned,  killed  by  poison. 

Neph  ew  (nSf  yu),  a  brother 
or  sister's  son. 

Uncle  (ung'kl),  a  father  or 
mother's  brother. 

Openly (i'pn II),  not  in  pri- 
vate ;  publicly. 

Horrid  (hftr'rid),  dreadful; 
shocking. 


Pris  on  ( priz'  zn),  a  place  or 
house  where  persons  are  shut 
up  for  punishment  or  safety  ; 
a  jail. 

Eas'  i  ly,  without  diflSculty. 

Di  reef  ed,  ordered. 

Geof  frey,  a  man's  name. 

Sus  pect'  ed,  thought  guilty. 

En  treat'  ies,  prayers ;  per- 
suasions. 

Un  der  stand',  to  know. 


AETHUR    AND    KIl^Q    JOHIfo  119 


LITTLE    ARTHUR    AND    KING    JOHN. 

A  BOUT  six  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  there 
-^-^  lived  a  very  wicked  king  in  England, 
who^e  name  wa^  John.  He  had  a  little  nephew, 
who^e  name  wsls  Arthur. 

2.  A  nephew  i^  the  son  of  a  brother  or  sis- 
ter. The  name  of  the  father  of  Arthur  wa^ 
Geoffrey.  Geoffrey  wsls  the  son  of  Henry,  called 
the  Second,  because  he  wa^  the  second  king  of 
England  who^e  name  wa5  Henry. 

3.  On  the  death  of  Henry  the  Second,  Geof- 
frey would  have  been  king,  but  Geoffrey  wa^ 
dead,  and  Arthur  wa^  the  rightful  king. 

4.  But  Arthur  was  a  very  little  boy.  He 
wsis  not  old  enough  to  understand  how  to  be  a 
king.  His  uncle  John  had  the  care  of  him,  and 
acted  a^  king  for  Arthur. 

5.  Now,  John  wa^  a  very  wicked  man,  and, 
although  Arthur  wa<?  a  very  good  little  boy,  hi^ 
wicked  uncle  did  not  love  him.  John  knew 
that  if  he  could  get  Arthur  out  of  the  way, 
without  being  suspected  of  killing  him,  he  would 
be  the  real  king  of  England  instead  of  Arthur. 

6.  This  wicked  man,  therefore,  tried  a  great 
many  way5  to  get  rid  of  Arthur ;  but  John 
knew  that  everybody  loved  Arthur,  because  he 


120  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 

wsis  SO  good  a  little  boy.  They  knew  also  that 
Arthur  would  be  a  very  good  king,  when  he  wa^ 
old  enough,  and  they  loved  him  very  much. 

7.  John,  therefore,  did  not  dare  to  kill  Arthur 
openly,  hut  he  had  him  put  into  prison,  and 
sent  a  man,  who^e  name  wa^  Hubert,  to  put  out 
Arthur's  eyes,  and  to  kill  him. 

8.  When  Arthur  saw  Hubert  come  into  Ms 
prison,  with  two  cruel  men,  to  burn  out  hi^ 
eyes  with  red-hot  irons,  he  fell  down  on  hi.^ 
knee^  to  Hubert,  and  begged  him  to  pity  Rim. 

9.  Hubert  was  not  a  cruel  man,  and  wa^ 
easily  made  to  listen  to  poor  little  Arthur's 
entreaties.  But  Hubert  knew  that  the  wicked 
King  John  would  punish  him,  and,  perhaps, 
put  him  to  death,  if  he  did  not  do  sls  the  king 
had  directed  him,  and  kill  Arthur. 

10.  He,  however,  told  Arthur  that  he  would 
not  hurt  him.  Hubert  also  hid  Arthur,  so  that 
the  king  did  not  know  that  he  was  alive.  But 
little  Arthur,  thinking  that  Hubert  had  forgotten 
to  take  him  out  of  the  prison,  jumped  from  the 
wall  of  the  prison,  and  was  killed  by  his  fall. 

11.  The  wicked  King  John  had  many  things 
to  suffer  after  Arthur's  death,  and,  at  last,  he 
was  poisoned,  and  died  a  very  painful  and  hor- 
rid death. 


NEYEE  PLAY  THE  TRUANT. 


121 


ARTICULATION 
z. 


raz  lire, 


o'  sier, 


bra'  zier ; 
seiz'  ure ; 
treas'  ure 


gla'  zier, 
fu'  sion, 
mea<9'  ure. 


gra  zier ; 
leis^  ure ; 
vi*^'  ion. 


LESSON     XXXVII. 


Set  ,replace  or  fix  a  broken  bone. 
En  tice',  to  tempt. 
At  tend.',  to  be  present  at. 
Be  longed'jWas  connected  with. 


Tru  ant(tr6'  ant),one  who  stays 
from  scbool  without  leave. 

Anx  ions  (&nk'  shus),  uneasy  ; 
desirous. 


NEVER    PLAY    THE   TRUANT. 

CHAELES  KUSSEL  was  a  good  boy,  who 
liked  very  mucli  to  go  to  school.  He  had 
heard  his  father  say  that,  when  he  went  to 
school,  he  never  had  played  the  truant ;  and 
Charles  was  very  anxious  to  he  like  his  father. 

2.  As  Charles  was  going  to  school,  he  met  a 
T^oy  by  the  name  of  James  Green,  who  was  on 
the  way  to  the  woods  to  gather  nuts.  James 
belonged  to  the  same  school  with  Charles,  and 
ought  to  have  gone  to  school  on  that  morn- 
ing. 

3.  But  James  had  made  up  his  mind  to  play 
the  truant,  and  he  tried  very  hard  to  make 
Charles  go  with  him.     Charles  told  him  that  he 


122  JSTATIOI^AL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

would  not  play  tlie  truant,  because  Ms  father 
had  told  Mm  that  it  was  very  wrong,  and  that 
when  he  was  a  boy  he  had  never  done  so. 

4.  When  Charles  came  home  from  school 
that  night,  his  mother  told  him  that  she  had 
some  sad  news  to  tell  him  about  one  of  his 
schoolmates,  by  the  name  of  James  Green. 

5.  Instead  of  going  to  school,  James  had 
gone  into  the  woods  to  gather  nuts.  He  found 
plenty  of  nuts,  but  seeing  a  squirrel  on  a  large 
tree,  he  put  down  his  basket,  and  climbed  the 
tree  to  find  the  squirrel's  nest.  Stepping  on  a 
branch  that  bent  under  his  weight,  he  slipped 
and  fell  to  the  ground,  and  broke  his  leg. 

6.  A  man,  who  was  passing  through  the 
woods,  found  him,  and  carried  him  home. 
When  the  doctor  came  and  set  his  leg,  he  said 
it  would  be  a  long  time  before  James  would  be 
able  to  walk. 

7.  Charles  thought  to  himself  how  glad  he 
was  that  he  had  not  gone  with  James  into  the 
woods.  If  he  had,  it  might  have  been  he  in- 
stead of  James  who  had  the  broken  leg. 

8.  He  then  said  to  himself,  "I  will  not  let 
any  boy  entice  me  away  from  school,  but  I  wiU 
always  attend  when  I  am  sent,  and  then  I  am 
sure  that  I  shall  be  out  of  the  way  of  harm." 


j — - — -— — — — ~ — —         " 1 

SUB-TONICS. 

123 

TABLE    OF    CONSONANT    ELEMENTS. 

BUB-TONICS. 

^, 

as  in    5aJe,       Z>ale, 

Jane,       Jard, 

Jark. 

d, 

i( 

^ale,      ^ame, 

^ate,       did, 

^im. 

ff, 

u 

^a^e,      p-ale, 

^ate,       g^g. 

W- 

j\ 

u 

iade,      yane, 

jfoin,       yoint. 

/oist. 

/, 

u 

Zake,       Zane, 

Zate,        ?et, 

^end. 

7)1, 

u 

make,     ??2ane, 

7/2  ate,      mild. 

mind. 

n,- 

<( 

name,    nail, 

nave,       ni/ie, 

night. 

^¥5 

(( 

ba^i^,     ^mfig, 

sa?i^,        filing, 

youn^. 

Ty 

u 

race,      rake. 

rain,        bar. 

car. 

a, 

u 

fliat,      fhis. 

fliese,      fhose. 

wifii. 

^, 

(( 

'yail,       -wain. 

-yase,        -yine, 

-yice. 

w, 

u 

?z7age,     'zzjail, 

^^ake,      'zz;ide. 

-M^ise. 

y, 

u 

2/ard,      yes. 

2/et,          you. 

your. 

^5 

(( 

^eal,       ^est, 

zinc,        sone. 

ga^e. 

2, 

u 

azure,    brazier 

,  glazier,   seizure, 

virion. 

LESSON 

XXXVIII. 

Wharf  (w 

li^rf),   a  place  built 

Fas  tened(Ms'nd),  fixed  to. 

out 

in  the  water  at  which  to 

Pre  vent',  to  hinder 

load  and  unload  vessels. 

Bit'  ter  ly,  with  great  grief. 

Ti' dings, 

news. 

Dis  0  be'  di  ent,    not    doing 

Ves'  sel,  5 

1  ship. 

what  one  is  told  to  do.     . 

1 

124  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE 


YOUNG    ROBINSON 


A  LITTLE  boy,  one  day,  went  down  to  a 
-^-^  wharf  in  a  great  city,  to  see  the  large  ves- 
sels that  were  preparing  to  go  to  sea. 

2.  A  wharf  is  a  place  where  ships  or  boats 
may  be  fastened,  to  prevent  them  from  float- 
ing away,  or  being  blown  away  by  the  wind. 

3.  This  little  boy,  when  he  saw  the  great 
ships,  and  heard  that  they  were  going  out  to 
sea,  wanted  very  much  to  go  in  one  of  them, 


YOUNG    EOBINSON,  125 

and  see  the  great  waters,  and  the  countries 
lie  had  heard  so  much  about,  beyond  the  great 
waters. 

4.  He  went  home  to  his  par'  ents,  and  asked 
them  to  let  him  go  in  the  great  ship,  the  master 
of  which  told  him  that  he  might  go,  if  he 
wished. 

5.  But  his  par'  ents  were  not  willing  that  this 
little  boy  should  go  in  the  ship.  They  knew 
much  about  the  sea,  and  that  living  on  board  a 
ship  would  be  a  very  hard  life  to  lead.  They 
therefore  refused  their  consent. 

6.  The  little  boy  was  not  satisfied.  He 
wanted  to  go,  and  all  his  par' ents  could  say 
did  not  prevent  him  from  going.  He  rose 
very  early,  one  morning,  before  his  par' ents 
were  awake,  and  tied  up  a  few  of  his  clothes 
in  his  pocket-handkerchief.  He  then  slipped 
out  of  the  back-door  very  softly,  for  fear  of 
waking  the  family,  and  went  down  to  the 
wharf. 

7.  The  captain  of  the  vessel  had  not  yet  come 
down.  The  little  boy,  therefore,  wandered 
about,  up  and  down  the  wharf,  for  some  time. 
Seeing  another  vessel  preparing  to  push  off 
from  the  wharf,  he  went  to  the  side  of  the  ves- 
sel,  and    asked    a   man  whom   he    saw  there 


126  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

whether  he  would  not  like  to  take  a  little  boy 
with  him. 

8.  The  man  to  whom  he  spoke  called  to  an- 
other man,  who  was  the  master  of  the  vessel, 
and  told  him  there  was  a  little  boy  on  the 
wharf  who  wished  to  go  with  them.  "  Call 
him  to  me,"  said  the  master  of  the  vessel.  The 
little  boy  went  on  board  of  the  vessel,  and  the 
master  asked  him  what  was  his  name.  The 
little  boy  told  him  that  his  name  was  Robinson. 

9.  "  Robinson,"  said  the  captain,  who  was 
standing  near,  "  I  am  going  in  my  ship  a  great 
distance,  and  shall  not  return  home  for  a  year. 
Do  you  wish  to  go  with  me  f  "  Yes,  sir,"  said 
Robinson,  "  I  wish  to  go  very  much,  and  I  will 
do  whatever  you  wish  me  to  do,  if  you  will  let 
me  go  with  you." 

10.  "Will  your  par' ents  give  their  consent  to 
your  going?"  said  the  captain.  ''They  will 
not  care,"  said  Robinson  :  "  they  always  let  me 
do  what  I  please."  "  I  can  not  stop  to  ask 
them,"  said  the  captain  ;  ''  but  as  you  say  they 
will  not  care,  I  will  take  you,  and  I  will  send  a 
letter  to  your  father  to  teU  him  that  you  have 
gone." 

11.  Robinson  was  so  glad  to  go,  that  he  did 
not  stop  to  think  what  a  wicked  lie  he  had 


YOU]N^G    EOBIiq^SOIN^. 


127 


told  the  captain  about  Ms  par^ents'  consent. 
The  ship  sailed,  and  this  wicked  and  disobe- 
dient boy  went  to  sea  in  the  ship. 

12.  When  Eobinson's  father  received  the 
captain's  letter,  informing  him  that  his  little  son 
had  gone  to  sea,  he  was  very  sorry,  and  his 
mother,  on  hearing  the  sad  news,  fainted  away. 
She  could  not  sleep  all  that  night,  but  wept 
bitterly. 

13.  She  passed  nights,  and  days,  and  months, 
in  great  sorrow.  In  vain  she  read  the  news- 
papers every  day,  to  see  whether  any  tidings 
came  of  her  son,  or  the  ship  in  which  he  sailed. 


LESSON     XXXIX. 


Deck,  tlie  floor  of  a  sliip. 

Diz'  zy,  light-headed. 

Rig'  ging,  the  ropes  and  sails 

of  a  vessel. 
Aroused',  waked  up  suddenly. 


Ham'  mock,  a  swinging  bed 

used  by  sailors. 
A  sun'  der,  apart,  or  in  pieces. 
Con  fu'  sion,  disorder. 
Dis  ap  pear',  pass  out  of  sight. 


YOUNG     R  O  B  I  N  S  0  N  —  Continued. 


A  S  the  ship  sailed  through  the  water,  Robin- 
--^-^  son  was  at  first  very  much  delighted,  and 
thought  that  he  should  have  a  nice  time.     But 


128  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

he  had  not  been  long  in  the  ship  before  it  be- 
gan to  roll  from  side  to  side,  and  to  pitch  and 
toss  on  the  great  waters,  so  that  Robinson  could 
not  stand  on  his  feet,  but  he  had  to  hold  on  to 
the  sides  of  the  vessel. 

2.  The  houses  and  the  land  began  to  dis- 
appear, and  before  many  hours  he  could  see 
nothing  around  or  above  hm,  but  the  blue  sky 
and  the  dark  green  sea.  And  then  Robinson 
began  to  feel  dizzy  and  very  ill.  He  lost  all 
desire  for  food,  and  began  to  think  how  much 
pain  he  had  caused  to  his  father  and  mother  by 
running  away.  He  then  thought  that  he  would 
give  all  that  he  had  in  the  world,  if  he  could 
only  be  at  home  with  his  kind  par'ents,  his 
brothers  and  his  sisters. 

3.  The  master  of  the  ship  also  began  to  be 
very  severe  with  him,  and  to  speak  to  him 
harshly,  and  make  him  run  about  the  ship  on 
errands  when  he  was  so  dizzy  and  Ul  that  he 
could  hardly  stand. 

4.  In  a  few  days  he  began  to  feel  a  little 
better,  and  when  he  had  nothing  to  do,  he 
would  look  over  the  sides  of  the  vessel  and  see 
the  great  waves  coming  from  a  distance.  They 
appeared  as  though  they  would  sink  the  ship 
and  all  the  crew  in  the  deep  waters. 


TOUKG    EOBINSON^.  129 

5.  He  was  much  frightened,  too,  when  the 
wind  arose  and  whistled  through  the  rigging, 
and  raised  the  waves  so  high  that  they  ap- 
peared like  great  mountains  of  water.  In  the 
night,  too,  he  could  scarcely  sleep  for  fear.  He 
lay  on  his  hard  hammock  among  the  sailors, 
wide  awake,  many  a  night,  thinking  of  his  com- 
fortable home,  and  how  glad  he  would  be  were 
he  safely  there  again. 

6.  One  night,  as  he  lay  asleep  dreaming  of 
home,  he  was  suddenly  aroused  by  a  dreadful 
shock.  Then  he  heard  a  cry  from  the  deck, 
"  We  are  all  lost  .^"  and  a  moment  after,  he  rolled 
from  his  bed  on  to  the  floor. 

7.  He  rushed  up  from  his  sleeping  place  to 
the  deck  of  the  ship,  where  he  saw  every  thing 
in  confusion.  The  ship  had  struck  on  a  rock, 
and  was  fast  going  to  pieces.  Fear  was  on 
every  face,  and  all  around  him  were  uttering 
cries  and  prayers,  expecting  every  moment  to 
be  drowned  in  the  deep  sea. 

8.  The  ship  kept  rocking  from  side  to  side, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  it  split  and  fell  asunder. 
Every  one  on  board  was  thrown  into  the  water. 
But  Eobinson  was  caught  by  a  sail  as  he  fell, 
and  that  saved  him  from  drowning. 

9.  He  caught  hold  of  the  spar  or  yard  on 


130  NATIONAL    SECOND    READEE. 

whicli  the  sail  was  fastened,  and  clung  to  it. 
After  having  "been  on  the  water  many  hours, 
the  wind  blew  the  spar,  with  Robinson  on  it, 
so  that  it  floated  to  the  land. 


LESSON     XL. 


strewed  (strSd),  scattered. 
Waste,  an  unoccupied  space. 
Beach,  the  shore  of  sea  or  lake. 
Drear'  y,  gloomy. 


Lone'  ly,  uninhabited. 
Voy'  age,  travel  by  sea. 
Fa  tigued  (fa  thgd^,  wearied. 
Com  pas'  sion,  pity. 


YOUNG    ROBINSON  — Concluded 

TTTHEN  Robinson    came   to  the   land,   his 
^  ^       clothes  were  wet  through  and  through. 
He  had  been  on  the  water  many  hours,  and  he 
was  tired  and  very  hungry. 

2.  He  looked  around  to  see  whether  any  one 
else  had  been  saved.  But  no  one  was  near. 
On  the  beach,  or  shore,  he  saw  pieces  of  the 
ship  strewed  about.  At  last  he  was  so  much 
fatigued  that  he  lay  down  on  the  dry  sand  and 
fell  asleep. 

3.  When  he  awoke,  the  sun  was  up  and  shin- 
ing brightly  upon  him.     He  looked  out  on  the 


YOUNa    EOBIiq^SON.  131 

wide  waste  of  waters,   but  could   see  neither 
sliip,  nor  sail,  nor  boat,  nor  living  tMng. 

4.  He  walked  a  little  way  from  the  shore,  to 
see  if  he  could  find  a  house  or  any  place  of 
shelter,  but  he  found  none.  At  length,  as  he 
walked  along,  he  saw  some  bushes  or  small 
trees,  and,  going  up  to  them,  he  found  that 
there  were  some  oranges  on  them.  He  hastily 
seized  one  and  sat  down  to  eat  it. 

5.  But  the  story  of  this  little  boy  is  too  long 
to  tell  you  in  this  book,  and  I  can  only  add, 
that  he  passed  many  dreary  days  and  nights 
on  the  lonely  island,  where  the  sea  had  cast 
him.  One  day,  as  he  was  walking  al5ng  the 
beach  or  shore,  he  saw  some  men  rowing  a 
small  boat  toward  the  island. 

6.  The  men  belonged  to  a  large  ship,  which 
he  saw  at  some  distance,  and  they  were  coming 
on  shore  in  search  of  fresh  water.  The  sea- 
water  is  salt,  and  not  fit  to  drink. 

7.  Robinson  ran  up  to  the  men,  as  soon  as 
they  landed,  and  told  them  his  story.  He 
owned  that  he  had  been  a  very  naughty  boy, 
and  said  if  they  would  take  him  with  them,  he 
would 'work  for  them  on  the  voyage. 

8.  The  men  had  compassion  on  him.  They 
took  him  on  board  of  their  ship,  and  at  last 


132  liTATIOlSrAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

carried  him  home  to  Ms  par'  ents,  who  thought 
he  had  been  drowned. 

9.  Eobinson  fell  on  his  knees  before  his  fa- 
ther and  mother,  and  promised  them  that  so 
long  as  he  lived,  he  would  never  disobey  them 
again,  nor  tell  another  falsehood. 


ARTICU  LATION. 

/. 
ykme,     /*ane,      /ate;       /ar,         /arce,      yarm; 

/i/e,       /ile,       /ine;       /orce,     /ord,        /orge ; 

ykll,        yalse,     /ault ;      /bul,       /bunt,      ybund. 


LESSON     XLI 


Well'  -bred,  polite. 

Sir  ly,  weak  in  mind. 

Tor  toise  (tir'  tis),  a  turtle. 

At  tempt',  trial. 

Sup  pct'jto  keep  from  falling. 


Na  ture  (nit' yer),  that  which 
is  born  with  us. 

Sat'  is  fy ,  to  please. 

Pre  tend' ing,  trying  to  ap- 
pear to  be  what  we  are  not. 


THE    EAGLE    AND    THE   TORTOISE. 

A  FABLE. 

~T~  ITTLE  boys  are  5/ten  /ond  of  playing  horse, 
-^-^  and  pretending  that  they  are  d5gs  or  cats. 
Sometimes  they  make  a  noise  like  a  d6g  bark- 
ing or  a  cat  mewing. 


THE    EAGLE    AT^D    THE    TOKTOISE.  133 


2.  This  is  all  very  well,  when  tliey  are  at 
play  among  themselves,  to  amuse  each  other. 
But  when  they  are  in  the  company  of  their  par- 
ents and  /riends,  they  should  make  no  such 
noises,  but  conduct  themselves  like  good  and 
well-bred  little  boys. 

3.  'No  one  should  pretend  to  be  what  he  is 
not,  and  no  one  should  try  to  be  what  he  never 
can  be. 

4.  A  story  is  told  of  a  tortoise  that  wished 
very  much  to  be  a  bird.  The  story  is  a  /a- 
ble,  and  a  /able  is  a  story  which  is  not  true ; 
but,  although  it  is  not  true,  it  is  so  much  like 
a  true  story,  that  it  always  teaches  a  useAd 
lesson. 

5.  The  tortoise  is  a  creature  that  can  swim 
very  /ast  in  the  water.  When  out  of  the  wa- 
ter, it  can  walk  only  slowly,  and  with  great 
labor.  It  has  a  hard  and  thick  shell  on  its 
back,  from,  which  combs  and  other  use/iil 
things  are  made. 

6.  An  eagle  is  a  very  large  bird,  and  it  yiies 
very  high  and  /ast  in  the  air.  The  tortoise 
wished  very  much  to  be  a  bird,  and  to  fly  in 
the  air.  He  thought  that  he  could  be  a  bird, 
if  any  one  would  teach  him  how  to/ly. 

7.  Seeing  the    eagle,    one    day,    the   tortoise 


134 


NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


begged  that  lie  would  teach  him  how  to  f\j. 
But  the  eagle  told  the  silly  tortoise  that  /lying 
was  a  thing  he  could  not  do,  because  it  was 
contrary  to  nature. 


8.  But  the  tortoise  was  not  satisfied.  He 
begged  the  eagle  to  take  him  up  into  the  air, 
and  then  let  him/ly  down  to  the  earth. 

9.  The  eagle,  /inding  that  nothing  else  would 
satis/y  the  tortoise,  did  as  he  was  desired.  He 
took  the  tortoise  up  very  high  into  the  air,  and 
then  let  him  drop.  The  poor  /oolish  toi-toise, 
being  unable  to  support  himsel/  in  the  air,  /ell 
down  upon  a  rock,  and  was  dashed  to  pieces. 


EABBITS. 


135 


10.  We  may  learn  from  tMs  fa  ble,  that  \f  we 
try  to  be,  or  to  do,  what,  /rom  our  nature,  we  can 
not  be,  or  do,  we  may  /ail  in  our  attempt,  and 
be  brought  to  a  sad  end,  like  the  silly  tortoise. 


ARTICULATION 

h, 

A  ate ;        Aark, 

• 

Aale, 

Aame, 

Aarm, 

Aard  ; 

Aeal, 

Aeap, 

Aear ;        Aide, 

Aigh, 

Aire ; 

Aold, 

/iome, 

Aope ;       Aound, 

Aouse, 

Aowl. 

LESSON     XLII 


Term,  a  name. 
Spe'  cies,  kind,  or  sort. 
In'  stance,  an  example. 
IT'  sage,  use  ;  practice. 
Snr  face  (s^i-'  fas),  the  outside. 
Bur'  rows,  makes  or  lodges  in 
a  hole  iu  the  earth. 


Pro  voke',  to  stir  up ;  to  excite. 


Distinct  (distingt'),  standing 
by  itself ;  separate. 

En'emies,  those  who  would 
do  us  harm. 

E.id.'ictQe,  laughter;  words 
spoken  to  produce  laughter. 

RABBITS. 

Walter.  Is  not  this 
the  picture  of  a  rabbit, 
father?  John  says  it's 
a  Aare. 

Father.  And  John  is 
right,  my  son.  That  is 
the  picture  of  an  Ameri- 
can Aare. 

Walter,  But  I  am  sure 


136  NATIOIS^AL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

I  ^eard  you  call  it  a  rabbit.    Everybody  calls 
these  animals  rabbits. 

Father,  True,  Walter.  And  yet,  really,  they 
are  ^ares.  Though  the  rabbit  looks  very  much 
like  a  /^are,  it  is  a  distinct  species,  and  is  much 
wiser  than  the  ^are.  It  burrows  in  the  ground, 
and  thus  ^ides  itself  and  its  young  from  its  ene- 
mies ;  while  the  Aare  lives  on  the  surface  of  the 
earth,  and  is  in  constant  fear  of  its  enemies. 

Look  at  this  picture 
of  a  tame  rabbit,  and 
then  look  at  the  pic- 
ture at  the  ^ead  of  this 
lesson,  and  you  will  see 
that  they  are  different. 

Walter.  Oh  yes.  I 
can  see  that  very  plain- 
ly. But  if  our  rabbits, 
as  we  call  them,  are  only  ^ares,  why  are  they 
not  called  by  their  right  name  %  Why  are  they 
not  called  ^ares  ? 

Father.  A  first  mistake  in  naming  the  ani- 
mal, ^as  made  the  term  rabbit  so  common,  that 
most  people  believe  it  to  be  correct;  and  it  is 
now  almost  impossible  to  change  it  to  the  right 
one. 

Walter,  I  will  call  them  ^ares,  after  this. 


BABBITS.  137 

Fatlier.  People  will  hardly  know  what  you 
mean. 

Walter,  But  they  are  ^ares,  and  ought  to  be 
called  so: 

Father,  My  son,  when  you  speak  to  others, 
you  wish  them  to  understand  the  meaning  of 
your  words,  do  you  not. 

Walter,  Oh  yes. 

Father.  If  you  say  ^are,  you  will  not  be  un- 
derstood, for  the  American  ^are  is  known  as 
the  rabbit.  It  is  better  always  to  be  correct  in 
every  thing ;  but  where  the  usage  of  a  whole 
people  is  slightly  incorrect,  as  in  this  instance, 
it  is  better  that  lads,  like  yourself,  should  do  as 
others  do,  instead  of  trying  to  introduce  a  re- 
form. You  could  effect  no  change  of  the  cus- 
tom, and  you  would  only  lay  yourseK  open  to 
the  unpleasant  ridicule  of  many. 

Walter.  But  you  ^ave  said  that  we  nev.er 
should  be  afraid  of  ridicule,  father. 

Father.  N^or  should  we.  And  yet,  there  are 
few  who  can  bear  it  without  feeling  unpleas- 
antly. It  is  always  best  not  to  provoke  it 
lightly,  for  those  who  laugh  at  us  are  not  in  a 
state  to  be  made  better  by  what  we  may  say 
or  do. 

Walter.  I  never  thought  of  that. 


138 


NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEK. 


Father.  But  it  is  a  fact,  Walter ;  and,  there- 
fore, while  we  should  not  be  afraid  of  being 
laughed  at,  we  should  not,  for  a  light  cause, 
call  down  upon  ourselves  the  ridicule  of  others. 


( 

ARTI  CU  LATION 

7 

^eel. 

^eep, 

Ic&j ;          Z:;iss, 

^ing. 

hmk ; 

^ind. 

^ine. 

Mte ;         Mrh, 

A^ept, 

Tdch] 

bea^j, 

see^, 
L 

wea^ ;       bac^, 

pac^, 

tac^. 

ESSON     XLIII 

Bill,tlie  moutli  or  beak  of  a  bird. 
So'  ber,  serious. 
Gloss'  y,  smooth  and  shining. 
Puz'  zle,to  confuse ;  to  perplex. 
Lis  ten(lis'sn),hear  attentively. 


Correct',  right. 
Im  prove',  to  grow  better. 
Re  quire',  to  demand  ;  to  o-sk. 
Rap'  id  ly,  very  quickly. 
Tim'  id  ly ,  with  fear;  baslxfully. 


WHAT    IS    A    BIRD? 

A  TEACHER,  who  was  very  anxious  to  ma^e 
^^--^  his  scholars  understand  their  lessons,  said 
to  them  one  day,  "Now,  cliildren,  I  have  a  very 
hard  question  to  as^  you.  It  does  not  require 
you  to  study,  but  only  to  thinZ;  about  it,  in  or- 
der to  answer  it  well.     The  one  who  gives  me 


WHAT    IS    A    BIRD?  139 


tlie  best  answer  shall  go  to  the  head  of  his  class. 
The  question  is  this  :    What  is  a  Mrd  f" 

2.  Before  they  heard  the  question,  they 
loo/ced  very  sober,  and  thought  their  teacher 
wished  to  puzzle  them,  or  to  give  them  a  long 
sentence  to  learn.  But,  as  soon  as  they  heard 
the  question,  they  began  to  smile  among  them- 
selves, and  wonder  why  their  teacher  should 
call  that  a  hard  question. 

3.  A  dozen  hands  were  at  once  raised,  to* 
show  that  so  many  of  the  children  were  ready 
to  answer  it. 

4.  "Well,  John,"  said  the  teacher,  ''your 
hand  is  up  ;  can  you  tell  me  what  a  Mrd  is  f 

5.  John  quickly  rose,  and,  standing  on  the 
right  side  of  his  seat,  said,  ''A  bird  is  a  thing 
that  has  two  legs." 

6.  "Well,"  said  the  teacher,  "if  some  one 
should  saw  off  two  of  the  legs  of  my  chair,  it 
would  then  be  a  thing  that  has  two  legs  ;  but 
it  would  not  be  a  bird,  would  it?  You  see, 
then,  that  your  answer  is  not  correct." 

7.  One  of  the  children  said  that  a  bird  is  an 
animal  with  two  legs.  "  But,"  said  the  teacher, 
"all  little  boys  and  girls,  and  all  men  and 
women,  are  animals  with  two  legs  ;  but  they 
are  not  birds." 


140  J^ATIONAL    SECOND    KEADEE. 

8.  Another  cMd.  said  tliat  a  bird  is  an  ani- 
mal that  has  wings.  But  the  teacher  said,  there 
are  some  fishes  that  have  wings,  and  that  fishes 
are  not  birds. 

9.  A  bright  little  girl  then  rose  and  said :  ''A 
bird  is  an  animal  that  has  legs  and  wings,  and 
that  flies."  The  teacher  smiled  upon  her  very 
Mndly  and  told  her  that  "it  is  true  that  a  bird 
has  legs  and  wings,  and  that  it  flies  ;  but,  there 
is  another  animal,  also,  that  has  legs  and  wings, 
and  that  flies  very  fast  in  the  air.  It  is  called 
a  hat.  It  flies  only  in  the  night ;  but  it  has  no 
feathers,  and  therefore  is  not  a  bird." 

10.  Upon  hearing  this,  another  bright-eyed 
child  very  timidly  rose  and  said,  "A  bird  is 
an  animal  that  has  legs,  wings,  and  feathers." 
''Very  well,"  said  the  teacher;  "but  can  you 
not  tiling  of  any  thing  else  that  a  bird  has, 
which  other  creatures  have  not  ?" 

11.  The  children  loo^*ed  at  one  another,  won- 
dering what  their  teacher  could  mean ;  and  no 
one  could  thin^  what  to  say,  until  the  teacher 
said  to  them,  "  Thin^  a  moment,  and  try  to  tell 
me  how  a  bird's  mouth  loo^s.  You  see  I  have 
two  lips,  and  these  two  lips  form  my  mouth. 
Now,  tell  me  whether  a  bird  has  two  lips  ;  and 
if  he  has  not,  what  he  has  instead  of  lips." 


WHAT    IS    A    BIED  ?  141 

12.  One  of  the  children  quicMy  arose  and 
said,  that  a  bird  has  no  lips,  but  he  has  a  biU. ; 
and  that  bill  opens  as  the  lips  of  a  man  do,  and 
forms  the  mouth  of  the  bird. 

13.  ''Yes,"  said  the  teacher  ;  "Ctnd  now  list- 
en to  me  while  I  tell  you  the  things  you  should 
always  mention,  when  you  are  as^ed  what  a 
bird  is  :  A  bird  is  an  animal  that  has  feathers, 
two  legs,  two  wings,  and  a  hard,  glossy  bill." 

14.  ''And  now,"  said  the  teacher,  "you  see 
I  was  right,  when  I  told  you  that  I  had  a  hard 
question  to  as^  you.  Try  to  remember  what 
I  have  told  you  about  a  bird,  and  when  you 
are  as^ed  what  any  thing  is,  thin^  of  all  you 
ever  knew  about  the  thing,  and,  in  this  way, 
you  will  be  able  to  give  a  correct  answer. 

15.  "  This  will  also  teach  you  to  thin^  of 
what  you  read,  and  to  understand  it.  Thus, 
you  will  improve  rapidly,  for  you  can  always 
read  those  things  best  which  you  understand." 


ARTICULATION. 

V' 

^ace, 

i?ail, 

^ain; 

j?ant, 

^eace, 

^eak, 

^eei?; 

j?ike, 

j9ond, 

jpop, 

j?om^; 

^lurn^. 

j^ass,       ^ast ; 
^ine,       ^i^e ; 


142 


NATIOI^AL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


LESSON     XLIV. 


Hut,  a  rude  dwelling. 

Plat'  tedjbraided ;  interwoven. 

Ank'  lets,  ornaments  for  the 

ankle. 
Char'coal,  coal  made  by  burn- 

ing  wood  under  a  covering  of 

earth. 


Mus  cle   (mus'  si),  a  kind  of 

shell-fish. 
Macao  (mikou'). 
Chinese',  belonging  to  China. 
Nankeen', yellowcottoncloth. 
Du'  ti  ful,  obedient ;  kind. 
Del'i  cate,pleasingto the  taste. 


THE    LITTLE    CHINESE    BOY 


A   TIOTG  was  a  little  Chinese  boy.     He  had 


J^ 


no  mother.     She  had  been  dead  a  great 


many  years. 


THE    LITTLE    CHINESE    BOY.  143 


2.  He  lived  all  alone  witli  Ms  old  father  in  a 
^oor  little  Imt,  standing  among  some  green 
jpalm-trees,  near  a  Chinese  village  in  Macao, 
wMch  is  in  China,  about  eighty  miles  from  the 
great  city  of  Canton. 

3.  I  dare  say,  you  have  seen  some  of  the 
very  curious  thiQgs  which  are  "brought  from 
thence. 

4.  Atung  was  a  good  and  pretty  "boy.  He 
wore  nankeen  trowsers,  and  a  sort  of  jacket, 
which  came  down  to  his  knees,  and  round  his 
ankles  were  little  narrow  strips  of  tin. 

5.  The  children  of  rich  men  in  China  wear 
silver  anklets  ;  "but  the  father  of  Atung  was  so 
^oor,  he  could  buy  his  son  only  tin  ones.  His 
hair  was  very  black,  and  he  wore  it  j^latted  in 
a  long  braid,  hanging  down  his  back. 

6.  He  would  have  seemed  a  very  strangely 
dressed  little  boy  to  you ;  but,  think  as  you 
would,  I  am  sure,  if  Atung  could  have  seen 
you,  he  would  have  thought  your  dress  even 
more  odd. 

7.  His  father  was  very  ^oor,  and  so  old,  that 
he  could  scarcely  ^uU  the  rice  which  grew  in 
a  small  sj^ot  of  ground  back  of  the  little  hut. 
He  would  sit  most  of  the  day,  and  smoke  his 
long  pyp^. 


144  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEK. 

8.  Little  Atung  did  not  mean  that  his  father 
should  suffer,  if  he  could  j^revent  it.  He  was 
very  dutil'ul  and  kind  to  him,  gathered  oysters 
off  the  rocks  near  the  sea,  and  picked  up  deli- 
cate muscles,  for  his  old  father  to  eat. 

9.  Once  or  twice  a  day  he  would  take  a  great 
earthen  jar  u^on  his  shoulder,  and  go  off  to  the 
springs,  among  the  hiQs  of  Macao,  and  fill  it 
with  sweet  fresh  water,  that  his  father  might 
drink.  He  cooked  rice  and  fish  over  a  little 
^an  of  charcoal,  at  the  door  of  the  hut.  He 
also  took  great  care  to  "keep  the  hut  tidy  or 
neat. 

10.  But,  by  and  by,  the  old  man  was  taken 
very  ill,  and  ^ined  away,  day  after  day,  until, 
at  length,  he  died ;  and  poor  little  Atung  was 
left  all  alone  with  the  dead  body  of  his  father, 
in  that  smaU  hut,  by  the  green  ^aim-trees. 


ARTICULATION. 


^afe,  sake,  saine ;  *age,  ^ate,  swslj 

sane,  sslyb,  *lave;  sand,  sash,  scab; 

scan,  slap,  snag ;  snap,  span,  stag ; 

sack,  ^ang,  sank;  slab,  slam,  swam 

sea,  seal,  seat ;  see,  seed,  seen ; 

self,  send,  sense;  silk,  since,  '*?ing. 


THE    LITTLE    CHINESE    BOY. 


145 


LESSON     XLV 


Mor'  sel,  a  very  little  piece. 

Wast  e(i(wist'  ed),  worn  away. 

Grate'  ful,  kindly  disposed  to- 
ward one  from  whom  a  favor 
has  been  recoived. 

Forlorn',  lonely :  friendless. 

For  eign  (for'  in),  belonging 
to  another  country. 

Ocean  (6'8han),  the  largest 
body  of  salt  water. 


Cof  fin  (k6f  fin),  a  box  in  which 
a  dead  body  is  buried. 

Hast  ened  (hk'  snd),  went 
quickly. 

Im'  ag  es,  forms  made  to  rep- 
resent persons  or  things. 

Mis'  sion  a  ries,  persons  sent 
to  teach  religion.  Christian 
missionaries  are  called  mis- 
sionaries of  the  cross. 


THE    LITTLE    CHINESE    B  OY— Concluded. 

"pOOE  little  Atung  now  had  no  friend  but 
-^  God  !  And  yet  lie  had  never  heard  of  the 
great  God  of  heaven.  He  had  been  taught  to 
bow  down  before  images  of  wood  and  ^tone. 
But  God  loved  him,  poor  little  ignorant  boy  as 
he  was. 

2.  The  Bible  tells  us  that  not  a  sparrow  falls 
to  the  ground,  without  the  knowledge  of  our 
heavenly  Father.  He  loves  all  his  children, 
and  now  he  raised  up  friends  for  thi^  forlorn 
little  boy. 

3.  One  day,  it  chanced  that  some  foreign 
gentlemen  and  ladies  were  viewing  the  rice- 
fields  near  a  Chinese  village,   when  suddenly 


10 


146  natio:n^al  secois^d  reader. 

they  heard  low  5obs  and  cries,  as  of  5ome  one' 
in  pain,  or  in  grief. 

4.  These  cries  came  from  a  little  wood,  near 
by.  They  hastened  to  it,  as  fa^t  as  they  conld, 
and  there,  fitting  on  the  ground,  with  his  head 
leaning  against  the  body  of  a  palm-tree,  was 
poor  little  Atung. 

5.  He  was  very  pale ;  his  eyes  were  sunken, 
and  his  form  waited.  One  of  the  gentlemen, 
who  could  5peak  the  Chinese  language,  went 
up  to  the  little  boy,  and  kindly  taking  his  hand, 
a^ked  the  cause  of  his  distre^*?. 

6.  Atung  was  so  weak  that  he  could  hardly 
^peak.  At  la^t  he  told  them  that  he  was  nearly 
starved !  For  three  days  he  had  not  touched 
a  morsel  of  food  !  His  father  had  no  coffin,  and 
he  had  5aved  the  few  fishes  he  had  caught,  and 
even  every  grain  of  rice  that  he  had,  that  he 
might  5ell  them,  and  tlms  be  able  to  bury  his 
poor  old  father ! 

7.  The  party  were  all  moved  by  the  5tr5ng 
love  which  thi^  little  boy  showed  for  his  father. 
The  5ame  day,  a  coffin  was  prepared,  and  the 
body  of  the  old  man  was  given  to  the  earth. 

8.  One  of  the  gentlemen  took  the  poor,  for- 
lorn, little  boy  home  with  him  to  his  own  hou^e, 
which  stood  fronting  the  great  ocean,  in  one  of 


THE    LITTLE    CHINESE    BOY.  147 

the  fir^t  streets  of  Macao.  He  soon  "became 
fond  of  the  CMnese  boy,  who  showed  himself 
grateful  in  many  ways  for  the  kindne^^  he  had 
received. 

9.  In  a  few  week^,  when  Atung  was  5tr5ng 
again,  the  5ame  gentleman  placed  him  at  a 
school  tanght  by  some  kind  missionaries,  where 
he  might  learn  about  our  great  Father  in  heav- 
en, and  his  son  Jesu5  Christ. 
10.  Do  you  not  think  the  little  Chinese  boy 
was  rewarded  for  his  love  and  duty  to  his  old 
father  ?  So  will  all  children  be,  who  remember 
to  keep  the  command — "Honor  thy  Father 
AKD  THY  Mother." 


ARTICULATION 

^ale, 

t. 

taQte,         taint ;         tav, 

^arge. 

tart; 

taunt, 

^aiigh^,      ^empi^ ;       tent, 

test. 

text'. 

tilt, 

tint,           tinge ;         j^oas^, 

ton, 

tone. 

LESSON     XLVI, 


Tapped,  knocked  slightly. 
Beak,  the  homy  bill  of  a  bird. 
Sports'  men,  men  fond  of  fish- 
ing or  hunting. 


Ex  posed',  laid  open. 
Re  gret',  sorrow  ;  grief 
Dan'  ger,  liability  to  injury. 
Lib'  er  ty,  freedom. 


148 


NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 


THE    WOOD-PIGEON. 

rp  HE  common  wood-pigeon,  or  tlie  ring-dove, 
-■-  as  i^  is  somej^imes  called,  is  one  of  the  shy- 
est birds  in  tlie  woods. 
It  is  so  wild,  tha^  sporfe- 
men  find  ii^  very  diflS- 
cnl^ndeed  to  ge^  with- 
in sho^  of  iL  But  this 
wild  bird  will  become 
quite  tame,  if  caught 
when  young,  and  ^rea^- 
ed  with  grea^  kind- 
ness. 

2.  A  friend  of  mine  bongh^f  ?fwo  yonng  wood- 
pigeons  from  some  boys,  merely  to  save  their 
lives.  He  sen^^  them  to  an  old  woman  near  his 
house  to  be  bred  up.  She  took  great  care  of 
them,  feeding  them  with  peas,  of  which  they 
were  very  fond. 

3.  One  of  them  died,  bu^  the  other  grew  up, 
and  was  a  fine  bird.  Its  wings  had  not  been 
cut,  and  as  soon  as  it  could  fly,  i^  was  sei^  at 
liberfy. 

4.  But  this  bird  was  so  fond  of  the  old 
woman,  who  had  ^reafed  it  so  kindly,  tha^  i^ 
would  never  qui^e  leave  the  place.      I^  would 


THE    WOOD-PIGEON.  149 

fly  to  a  greaz^  distance,  and  even  go  with  birds 
of  U^  own  kind.  Bu^  ii^  never  failed  to  come 
to  the  house  of  my  fiiend,  ^wice  a  day,  to  be 
fed. 

5.  The  peas  were  placed  for  it  in  the 
kitchen  window.  K  the  window  was  shu^,  it 
would  j^ap  with  i^s  beak  ^ill  it  was  opened; 
then,  it  would  come  in,  eat  i^s  meal,  and  fly 
off  again. 

6.  If  by  chance,  affer  it  had  ifapped  for  a  long 
^ime,  the  window  was  no^  opened,  the  pigeon 
would  fly  upon  a  ^ee,  tha^  was  near,  and  wait 
^ill  the  cook  came  oui^.  As  soon  as  it  saw  her, 
it  would  alight  on  her  shoulder,  and  go  with 
her  in<^o  the  kitchen. 

7.  Wha<^  made  this  more  grange  was,  tha^ 
the  cook  had  no^  bred  the  bird  up  ;  and  the 
old  woman's  co^age  was  2Lt  some  distance  ;  bui^ 
as  she  had  no  peas  lefi^,  it  came  ^o  my  friend's 
house,  as  I  have  said,  to  be  fed. 

8.  This  wen^  on  for  some  ftme ;  bu^  the  poor 
bird,  having  los^  i^s  fear  of  man,  was  exposed 
to  consi^an^  danger  from  those  who  did  no^ 
know  i^.  It  me^  with  the  fafe  of  mos^  pe^s.  A 
stranger  saw  it  quiefly  Miing  on  a  ^ee,  and 
sho^  \t,  to  the  grea^  regret  of  all  ii^s  former 
friends. 


150  NATIOI<fAL    SECOiS^D    EEADER. 


ARTICULATION. 

th, 

th^n^     thiok,        thing;        ^Aink,      thirdi,       Mirst ; 

thigh,      thovn,       thumb;     thum^,    ^^Aatch,    thdi; 


LESSON     XLVII. 


Mourned  (ra6rnd),  grieved. 
Soothe  (s6fh),  to  make  quiet. 
An'  them,  a  song  of  praise. 
War  bled,  (wdr'  bid),  sang  as  a 

bird. 
Pran'  chised,  made  free. 
Kin'  dred,  of  the  same  blood, 

or  family. 


Bur  den  (blr'  dn),  a  weight 
borne  or  carried  ;  the  chorus, 
or  a  verse  of  a  song  repeated. 

A  dieu  (Sdu'),  a  farewell ;  act 
of  taking  leave. 

Mel'  low  er,  softer. 

Flut' tering,  panting ;  beating. 

Min'is  tered,supplied,or  gave. 


THE    BIRD    SET    FREE 

O  HE  opened  the  cage,  and  away  there  flew 
^     A  bright  little  bird :  as  a  short  adieu, 
It  hastily  whistled,  and  passed  the  door ; 
And  felt  that  its  sdrrowful  hours  were  o'er. 

2.  An  an^/^em  of  freedom  it  seemed  to  sing. 
To  ntter  its  joy  for  an  outspread  wing  ; 
That  now,  it  could  sport  in  the  boundless  air ; 
And  might  go  any  and  every  where. 

3.  And  Anna  rejoiced  in  her  bird's  delight ; 
But  her  eye  was  wet,  as  she  marked  its  flight ; 


THE    BIED    SET    FEEE. 


151 


Till,  this  was  the  song  that  she  seemed  to  hear ; 
And,  merrily  warbled,  it  dried  the  tear : 

4.  '^  I  had  a  mistress,  and  she  was  kind 
In  all  but  keeping  her  bird  confined. 
She  ministered  food  and  drink  to  me  ; 
But  oh !  I  was  pining  for  liberty  ! 

5.  ''  My  flutttering  bosom  she  loved  to  smooth ; 
But  the  heart  within  it  she  could  not  soothe  ; 
I  sickened  and  longed  for  the  wild  wood  breeze, 
My  feathery  kindred,  and  fresh  green  trees. 

6.  *'  A  prisoner  here,  with  a  useless  wing, 
I  looked  with  sorrow  on  every  ^^ing. 


152  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEB. 

I  lost  my  voice,  I  forgot  my  song, 

And  mourned  in  silence  the  whole  day  long. 

7.  "  Bnt  I  will  go  back  with  a  mellower  pipe. 
And  sing,  when  the  cherries  are  round  and 

ripe. 
On  the  topmost  hough,  as  I  lock  my  feet 
To  help  myself,  in  my  leafy  seat. 

8.  "  My  merriest  notes  shall  there  he  heard. 
To  draw  her  eye  to  her  franchised  bird ; 
The  hurden,  then,  of  my  song  shall  be, 
Earih  for  the  wingless  ;  tut  air  for  me  r 


ARTICULATION. 

<?Aafe,      <?7iain,      cAase ;     cAange,     (?/iarm,  (?Aart ; 

cAeese,     cAeek,     c/ieer ;     c/nck,        (?/an,  cJiv^ ; 

(?Aill,        ea<?A,       vnch ;       marc//,       mu<3A,  breacA. 


LESSON     XLVIII. 


Hap  pened(li&p'pnd)chanced. 

Hu'  mor,  general  turn  or  tem- 
per of  mind. 

Troub  ling  (truV  ling), disturb- 
ing ;  annoying. 

Com.  pel',  to  oblige ;  to  force 
to  some  act. 


In'  stant  ly,  immediately ;  in 
the  shortest  time  possible. 

Offend'  ed,  vexed  ;  made  an- 
gry ;  hurt  in  the  feelings. 

Dis  pleas  ure  (dis  pl&z'  er),  dis- 
like ;  offense  ;  anger. 

In  ter  nipt',to  stop ;  to  hinder. 


SPEAK    GENTLY.  153 


SPEAK    GENTLY. 

"r^  ET  out  of  my  way,"  said  Jolin  to  William, 
^J  as  lie  was  rolling  his  hoop  along  a  narrow 
passage,  through  which  William  was  drawing 
his  wagon.  ''  You  are  always  getting  in  my 
way,  whenever  I  wish  to  have  a  little  fun  with 
my  hoop,  or  my  ball,  or  any  of  my  playthings." 

2.  These  angry  words  of  his  brother  made 
William  feel  out  of  humor  too,  and  he  very 
roughly  replied,  "  You  get  out  of  my  way.  I 
can  not  play  anywhere  with  any  thing  without 
your  coming  to  interrupt  me.  I  have  as  much 
right  to  be  in  the  road  as  you  have,  and,  if  you 
can  not  amuse  yourself  without  troubling  me, 
go  somowher   else  to  play." 

3.  These  unkind  words  between  his  two  sons 
were  heard  by  Mr.  Conway,  who  from  a  window 
in  the  house  saw  what  was  going  on,  without  his 
sons  knowing  that  he  was  near. 

4.  A  few  days  after,  he  happened  to  be  in 
the  bam,  in  one  part  of  which  he  had  caused  a 
fine  swing  to  be  made  for  his  children.  Wil- 
liam was  enjoying  the  swing  with  another  lad 
of  about  his  own  age,  when  John  entered  the 
barn  in  great  haste,  and  in  no  very  good  humor. 

5.  "Get  out  of  that  swing.  Bill,"  said  John. 


154  ISTATIOjN'AL   secojn^d   eeader. 

"  You  and  Harry  Jones  have  had  it  a  long  time, 
and  it  is  my  turn  to  swing,  now.  Father  did 
not  have  it  put  up  for  you,  and  all  the  ragged 
boys  in  the  village." 

6.  ''I  came  here  first,"  said  William.  ^^I 
have  the  swing  and  mean  to  keep  it.  You 
only  came  here  to  interrupt  us.  If  you  wanted 
to  swing,  why  did  not  you  come  and  take 
it  before  we  left  our  balls  ?  The  swing  has 
been  empty  all  the  morning,  and  you  would 
not  have  thought  of  it  if  you  had  not  seen 
us  here." 

7.  ''I  don't  care  for  that,"  said  John.  "I 
want  it,  and  I  will  have  it.  If  you  do  not  get 
out  of  it  this  minute,  I  will  pitch  you  out." 
These  angry  words  did  no  good.  Although 
William  was  younger  and  smaller  than  John, 
he  thought,  with  the  aid  of  Harry,  he  could  pre- 
vent his  brother  from  taking  the  swing,  and 
keep  it  for  himself. 

8.  John  was  just  about  to  carry  out  his  threat, 
and  had  taken  hold  of  the  rope  to  pull  the  seat 
from  under  his  brother,  when  their  father,  whom 
they  had  not  before  seen,  appeared  before  them. 

9.  ''I  believe,  my  sons,"  said  Mr.  Conway, 
mildly,  *'  I  must  have  the  swing  taken  down, 
I  had  it  nicely  put  up,  hoping  that  it  would 


SPEAK    GENTLY.  155 

amuse  my  children  and  make  them  happy,  but, 
I  find  it  causes  them  to  quarrel." 

10.  ^'O  father!"  said  William,  ^'do  not  take 
it  down.  John  shall  have  it  this  time,  if  you 
will  only  let  it  remain."  John  also  said  that 
he  would  give  it  up  to  his  brother  the  whole 
day,  if  his  father  would  not  take  it  down. 

11.  '^  Children,"  said  Mr.  Conway,  ''I  have 
no  wish  to  remove  it,  if  you  will  not  compel  me 
to  do  so.  It  was  not  the  swing  that  caused  the 
difficulty  between  you,  but  the  unkind  manner 
in  which  you  spoke  to  one  another.  I  heard 
all  that  passed  between  j^ou  about  the  swing, 
as  well  as  the  quarrel  that  took  place  a  few 
days  ago  in  the  road. 

12.  ^'  My  son,  when  you  wished  your  brother 
to  let  you  pass  by  him  with  your  hoop,  you 
roughly  said  to  him,  '  Get  out  of  my  way !' 
Your  angry  manner  offended  him.  I^ow,  if 
you  had  said  gently  to  him,  '  Please,  William^ 
move  your  wagon  a  little,  so  that  I  may  pass 
with  my  hoop,'  he  could  have  had  no  cause  of 
displeasure,  and  would,  without  doubt,  have 
moved  out  of  your  way. 

13.  **This  morning,  if  you  had  said  to  him, 
'William,  please  let  me  swing  a  little  while,'  I 
have  no  doubt  that  he  would  instantly  have 


156  JS^ATIOI^AL    SECOND    READER. 

given  up  the  swing  to  yon,  but  yon  very  ronghly 
bade  him,  '  Get  ont  of  that  swing !' 

14.  ''Now,  my  sons,  I  wish  yon  both  to  re- 
member, when  you  ask  any  one  to  do  any  thing 
for  you,  to  speak  Mndly.  No  one  likes  to  be 
ordered  to  do  any  thing ;  but,  if  kindly  asked 
to  do  it,  no  one  who  is  not  very  ill-tempered 
will  refuse  to  oblige  you." 


ARTICU  LATION. 

sh. 

^Aade, 

Make,     Mame;      Meef, 

Meep, 

Meet; 

^Aark, 

Marp,      shovQ ;       Mort, 

Mould, 

Mout ; 

Mall, 

saM,        marM;      Mell, 

Mift, 

Mawl. 

LESSON     XLIX. 


Thawing  (tM'ing),  melting 
like  snow. 

Worthy  (wSr'thl),  deserving 
praise  or  love. 

Ran'cid,  having  an  unpleas- 
ant smell  or  taste. 

De  prive',  to  take  from. 


In  dulge',  yield  to  the  enjoy- 
ment of. 

Hos'pitals,  houses  for  per- 
sons who  are  sick  or  of  un- 
sound mind. 

En  tire'  ly,  wholly ;  complete- 
ly. 


ICE-HOUSES 


ICE-HOUSES  are  made  to  keep  ice  when  the 
weather  is  warm,  and  to  prevent  its  thaw- 
ing.     They   are    sometimes    made    below   the 


ICE-HOUSES.  157 


ground,  with  a  drain  for  carrying  off  the  water 
of  the  ice  when  melted,  and  a  low  covering  to 
keep  out  the  sunshine  and  heat.  Sometimes 
they  are  made  ahove  the  ground,  and  then  the 
sides  are  double,  and  filled  with  sawdust,  or 
^^avings. 

2.  Ice  is  very  useful  in  warm  weather.  When 
milk,  cream,  and  butter  are  kept  on  the  ice,  the 
butter  will  not  become  rancid,  nor  the  milk  and 
cream  sour. 

3.  Meat,  and  food  of  all  kinds,  will  also  keep 
good  much  15nger  and  better  on  the  ice.  A 
glass  of  water  with  ice  in  it  is  very  refre^y^ing, 
on  a  warm  day  in  summer.  But  it  is  very  dan- 
gerous and  hurtful  to  drink  a  great  deal  of  ice- 
water  on  a  very  hot  day. 

4.  IVTot  15ng  ago  there  was  a  rich  man,  who 
lived  in  Boston.  He  was  a  very  worthy  man, 
and  every  one  loved  him.  When  people  were 
in  trouble,  he  gave  them  good  advice,  and 
helped  them  in  many  ways.  He  was  very  kind 
to  the  poor,  and  gave  them  money,  and  cloth- 
ing, and  food. 

5.  One  very  warm  day,  many  years  ago,  this 
good  man,  after  working  very  hard  in  his  busi- 
ness, went  to  visit  some  poor  people.  When 
he    returned    home,    he    was    very  warm    and 


158  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

tliirsty.  He  drank  some  ice-water,  and  it  tasted 
so  refre^Aing  that  lie  did  not  tMnk  of  the  harm 
it  would  do  him.  He  drank  too  much  of  the 
very  cold  water,  and  was  taken  very  ill. 

6.  At  first  it  was  thought  that  he  would  die. 
But  he  had  a  very  skillful  doctor,  under  whose 
care  his  life  was  saved;  though  he  never  after 
was  entirely  well. 

7.  He  lived  many  years,  but  was  obliged  to 
be  very  careful  in  his  diet.  Every  thing  he  ate 
or  drank  was  weighed,  and  he  was  compelled 
to  deprive  himself  of  many  pleasures  in  which 
he  saw  his  friends  indulge. 

8.  The  only  pleasure  he  had  was  in  being 
good  and  doing  good.  There  are  very  many 
people  now  living  whom  he  aided.  He  gave 
large  sums  of  money  to  build  churches,  and 
hospitals,  and  to  support  worthy  ministers. 

9.  This  good  man  died  a  very  short  time  ago, 
and  both  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  old  and  the 
young,  were  very  much  grieved  at  his  loss.  The 
name  of  this  good  man  was  Amos  Lawrence. 


ARTICU  LATION. 
wh. 
whsle,     whsirf,     wh&t;        wheotj     wheel,    wheeze; 
whelm.,    whebp,     whence;    where,     wMch,    whiii'; 
while,      whine,     whii^;        vjhirl,      w/n?,t,    white. 


TAKE    OAEE    OF   THAT    WOLF.  159 


LESSON     L 


Wolf,  a  fierce  wild  animal  of 

tiie  dog  family. 
In' jure,  to  harm. 


De  stroyed',  overturned. 
Pas'  sions,  strong  feelinga 
In'  no  cent,  harmless. 


Yoim'  ger,  of  less  age.  1  Af  fec'tions,statesof  themind. 

TAKE    CARE    OF    THAT    WOLF. 

Mother,  Take  care  of  that  wolf,  my  sou : 
you  are  saying  harsh  things  about  William. 

Alfred,  What  wolf,  mother  ? 

Mother,  The  wolf  in  your  heart.  Have  you 
forgotten  whdii  I  told  you  last  evening,  about 
the  wild  beasts  within  you  1 

Emily.  But  you  told  us,  too,  about  the  inno- 
cent lambs.  There  are  gentle  and  good  ani- 
mals in  us,  as  well  as  fierce  and  evil  ones. 

Mother.  Oh,  yes.  Kindness  and  love  are  the 
innocent  animals  of  your  hearts,  and  evil  pas- 
sions and  hate  are  the  cruel  beasts,  that  are  al- 
ways ready,  if  you  will  permit  them,  to  rise  up 
and  destroy  your  good  affections.  Take  care, 
my  children,  how  you  permit  the  wild  beasts 
to  rage. 

Emily.  But  wh^ii  did  you  mean  by  saying 
that  there  was  a  wolf  in  brother  Alfred  ?  Tell 
us  the  meaning  of  that,  mother. 


160  ]S^ATIO]SrAL    SECOj^D    readee. 

Alfred.  Yes,  do,  motlier.  I  want  to  know 
WI12X  the  wolf  in  my  heart  means. 

Mother,  Do  you  know  any  thing  about  the 
nature  of  wolves  ? 

Emily,  They  are  very  cruel,  and  love  to  seize 
and  eat  up  dear,  little,  innocent  lambs. 

Motlier.  Yes,  my  children,  their  nature  is 
cruel ;  and  they  prey  upon  innocent  creatures. 
Until  now,  Alfred,  you  have  always  loved  to 
be  with  your  playmate,  William  Jarvis.  Was 
it  not  so,  my  dear  % 

Alfred.  Yes,  mother ;  I  used  to  like  him. 

Mother.  Often,  you  would  get  from  me  a  fine, 
large  apple,  or  a  choice  flower,  from  the  gar- 
den, to  give  him.  But  the  tender  and  inno- 
cent feelings  that  moved  you  to  do  this  have 
perished.  Some  wolf  has  rushed  in,  and  de- 
stroyed them.  How  innocent,  like  gentle 
lambs,  were  your  feelings,  until  now !  When 
you  thought  of  William,  it  was  with  kindness. 
But  it  is  not  so  now.  Only  the  wolf  is  there. 
Will  you  stni  let  him  rage  and  eat  your  lambs, 
or  will  you  drive  him  out  % 

^Alfred.  I  will  drive    him  out,   mother,   if  I 
can.     How  shall  I  do  it  ? 

Mother.  Try  to  forget  the  fault  of  WHliam  ; 
think  how  good  he  has  been  to  you,  and  try  to 


ATONICS. 


161 


excuse  Mm,  for  he  did  not  mean  to  offend  yon. 
Then,  when  you  love  Mm,  the  innocent  lambs 
will  again  be  seen,  and  the  wolf  must  flee. 

Alfred.  I  don't  think  I  am  angry  with  Wil- 
liam, mother. 

Mother,  But  you  were  just  now. 

Alfred,  Yes  ;  but  the  wolf  is  no  longer  in  my 
heart.    He  has  been  driven  out. 

Mother.  I  am  glad  of  it.  Do  not  again,  Al- 
fred, do  not,  any  of  you,  my  children,  let  wild 
beasts  prey  upon  the  lambs  of  your  flock.  Fly 
from  them  in  as  much  terror  as  you  would  fly 
from  a  wolf,  a  tiger,  or  a  lion,  were  one  to  meet 
you  in  a  wood.  Wild  beasts  injure  the  body, 
but  evil  passions  injure  the  soul. 


TABLE    OF    CONSONANT    ELEMENTS. 


,/,     as  in  /kme,     /ane, 

Aam, 

^eep, 

i?i^e, 

^ane, 

^ar^, 

7Aing, 

cAarge, 

'wjhat, 


A, 

th, 
ch, 
sh, 
wh. 


/iale, 

^eel, 

peep, 

5ame, 

tsLste, 

^Aank. 


^Aade, 
whale^ 


/ate, 
/iate, 
^iss, 
plump, 

SSLYe, 

^augh^, 

think, 

chsLvm, 

shsLine, 

whesit, 


Aark, 

^in^, 

pulp, 

^end, 

^emp^, 

truth, 

much, 

^Aall, 

which, 


/ile. 
A  arm. 

pump, 
sense. 

tOSL&t. 

jouth. 
marcA. 
shout, 
white. 


162 


NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


LESSON     LI 


Cling,  to  hold  fast  upon. 
Mer'  chant,  one  who  buys  and 

sells  goods. 


Sim'  pie,  without  ornament  or 

pride. 
Hand  some  (hdn'sum),  pretty ; 

pleasing  to  the  eye. 


JAMES  AT  HOME. 
nn  HIS  is  the  picture  of  a  fine  street  in  the  city 
-■-  of  J^ew  York.  It  is  called  Lafayette  Place. 
2.  There  are  some  large  and  very  handsome 
houses,  behind  those  trees,  on  the  right  side  of 
the  street.  James  Walton's  father  lives  in  one 
of  them.     His  name  is  Edward  Walton,  and  he 


JAMES    AT    HOME.  163 

owns  a  large  store  in  a  very  wide  and  long 
'  street,  called  Broadway. 

3.  James  has  a  very  good  and  wise  mother. 
Though  she  is  the  wife  of  a  rich  'New  York 
merchant,  she  dresses  him  in  a  very  plain  and 
simple  manner,  and  does  not  allow  him  to  be 
vain  and  proud,  as  boys  sometimes  are  that 
have  rich  par'  ents. 

4.  James  loves  his  mother,  and  does  all  he 
can  to  please  her.  She  has  taken  so  great 
pains  to  teach  him  to  do  right  at  all  times, 
that  he  has  become  a  good  and  thoughtful 
boy. 

5.  I  mean  that  he  is  a  good  boy  on  the 
whole ;  though,  like  other  boys  of  his  age,  he 
sometimes  does  wrong. 

6.  There  are  no  boys  that  always  do  right ; 
but  some,  when  they  do  wrong,  love  the  wrong 
and  cling  to  it,  and  mean  to  do  it  as  often  as 
they  can.  James,  when  he  has  done  wrong,  is 
sorry  for  it,  and  resolves  to  do  so  no  more. 

7.  He  rises  very  early  in  the  morning,  and 
prepares  for  school.  He  does  not  trouble  the 
servants,  for  he  has  been  taught  to  help  him- 
self. 

8.  He  does  not  play  with  Bruno,  his  pet 
dog,  nor  with  Prince,  his  little  pony,  nor  with 


164  NATIOIN^AL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

any  of  Ms  playtMngs,  in  the  morning,  "but  lie 
hastens  to  school,  and  studies  all  the  time  he 
has,  till  his  class  is  called  out. 

9.  Mr.  Clark,  his  teacher,  loves  him  very 
much,  for  he  is  quiet  in  school,  and  always 
learns  his  lessons  well,  and  is  kind  to  his  school- 
mates on  the  play-ground. 

10.  James  learned  his  lessons  so  well,  and 
was  so  good  a  boy  at  home  and  at  school,  that 
his  father  promised  to  let  him  pass  the  summer 
vacation  in  the  country,  vrith  his  uncle  AKred. 

11.  In  the  next  lesson,  I  will  tell  you  what 
James  saw  at  his  uncle's  in  the  country,  and 
how  he  enjoyed  his  visit. 


LESSON     Lll. 


Shield  (sh6ld),  to  protect. 
Rel'ish,  to  like  or  enjoy. 
Pas'  ture,  a  field  where  cattle 

graze  or  feed  on  grass. 
Tin  kled(tlng'  kld),made  quick 


Peb'  bles,  small  smooth  round 

stones. 
Mow'  er,  one  who  cuts  grass 

with  a  scythe. 
Twit'  ter,  a  number  of  chirp- 


soimds  like  a  small  belL  1      ing  noises  without  singing. 

JAMES    IN    THE    COU  NTRY. 

MH.  ALFEED  WALTOlSr,  or  Uncle  Alfred, 
'    as  James  calls  him,  lives  on  a  very  fine 
farm  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey. 
2.  It  is  about  twenty  miles  from  the  city  of 


JAMES    IN    THE    COUTnTTEY. 


165 


!N"ew  York,  and  is  called  Coldbrook  farm,  be- 
cause a  brook  of  very  cold  and  clear  water  runs 
through  it. 


3.  Here  you  see  a  picture  of  the  farm-house. 
It  is  cool  and  pleasant  in  summer  ;  for,  though 
not  large,  it  is  surrounded  by  fine  shrubs  and 
trees,  which  shield  it  from  the  heat  of  the  sun. 

4.  Mr.  Clark's  school  closed  the  last  of  June, 
and  he  had  a  vacation  of  ten  weeks.  James 
passed  all  this  time  in  the  country,  with  his  Un- 
cle Alfred,  and  he  enjoyed  his  visit  very  much. 

5.  I  dare  say  he  would   have  been  lonely. 


166  NATIOIS^AL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

_-       _  _. 

had  it  not  been  for  Ms  cousin  Henry,  who  was 
about  his  own  age.  They  soon  became  great 
friends,  and  were  seldom  found  apart. 

6.  James  did  not  idle  his  time  away,  nor 
trouble  his  uncle,  as  some  boys  do,  when  they 
visit  their  friends  ;  but  he  was  very  useful. 

7.  He  would  rise  early  in  the  morning,  and 
help  his  cdusin  to  water  the  horses,  and  drive 
the  cows  to  pasture,  after  they  had  been 
milked. 

8.  Sometimes  he  would  carry  in  wood  from 
the  wood-house  ;  and  he  and  Henry  would  climb 
cherry-trees,  and  gather  cherries,  and  pick  cur- 
rants and  gooseberries  in  the  garden,  for  his 
aunt. 

9.  One  morning  James  and  Henry  rose  very 
early,  and  took  their  rods  and  lines,  and  fol- 
lowed the  brook  down  through  the  meadow, 
to  catch  some  fish  for  Henry's  mother,  who  was 
ill,  and  did  not  relish  her  food. 

10.  It  was  a  very  pleasant  walk.  Tlie  clear 
and  cold  water  tinkkd  over  the  little  pebbles 
in  the  brook,  and  the  green  moss  and  mint  had 
grown  up  in  the  grass  on  its  banks.  The  birds 
were  singing,  and  the  air  was  sweet  with  the 
odor  of  clover  and  wild  flowers. 

11.  They  followed  the  brook  down  to  a  deep 


JAMES    IN    THE    COUNTEY.  167 

place,  under  the  roots  of  an  old  tree,  in  the 
wood,  where  they  soon  caught  six  fine  spotted 
trout.  This  was  rare  sport  for  James,  as  he  had 
never  l^efore  "been  a-fishing. 

12.  In  haying-time,  James  arid  Henry  helped 
Mr.  Walton  make 
hay.  But  some  of 
the  boys  and  girls, 
who  read  this  lesson, 
may  not  know  how 
hay  is  made.  I  will 
now  tell  you. 

13.  The  mowers 
first  cut  down  the 
grass  with  scythes, 
into  thick  swaths,  or 
rows.  Here  you  see 
James  and  Henry 
turning  over  these  thick  rows,  and  spreading 
them  out,  so  that  the  grass  may  dry.  They 
wear  straw  hats,  with  wide  rims,  so  that  the 
sun  may  not  shine  in  their  faces.  James  has  a 
rake,  with  which  he  turns  over  the  rows,  and 
Henry  has  a  pitchfork,  to  spread  them. 

14.  After  the  grass  is  dry,  it  is  raked  up  into 
large  rows,  called  wind-rows.  It  is  then  loaded 
on  the  wagon,  and  taken  to  the  "bam.     James 


168 


NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 


and  Henry  sometimes  raked  up  the  liaj  tliat 
fell  from  the  wagon  as  it  was  loaded. 

15.  Sometimes,  when  there  was  a  shower, 
they  would  lie  ^  on  the  sweet  new  hay,  in  the 
barn,  and  hear  the  rain-drops  patter  on  the 
roof,  and  the  swallows  twitter  in  their  nests 
under  the  eaves. 

16.  When  vacation  was  over,  and  James  re- 
turned home,  his  face  was  so  brown  and  sun- 
burnt, that  his  schoolmates  hardly  knew  him  ; 
but  he  was  much  stronger  and  healthier  than  he 
would  have  been,  if  he  had  remained  in  the  city. 


LESSON     Llll. 


Glit'  ter,  to  sparkle. 

Ca'  lyx,  tlie  cup  of  a  flower. 

Sau'  cer,   a  "  shallow  dish  in 

which  a  tea-cup  is  set. 
Fore  head  (f6r'  ed),  front  part 

of  the  head  above  the  eyes. 


Im'i  tate,  to  copy. 

Pur'  pose  ly,by  design  or  plan. 

Ex  ample  (egzam'pl),  some- 
thing to  be  imitated. 

Prov  o  ca'  tion,  any  thing 
that  causes  anger. 


THE    HUMMING-BIRD. 

rpHE  humming-bird  is  the  smallest  of  all  birds, 
-■-     and  it  is  also  one  of  the  handsomest.     It  is 
almost  always  on  the  wing,  and  it  flies  so  fast, 
that  the  wings  can  scarcely  be  seen. 


THE    HUMMING-BIED.  169 

2.  It  has  a  very  long  bill,  in  tlie  shape  of  an 
awl.  The  bill  is  sharp  at  the  point,  so  that  it 
can  be  thrust  into  a  flower,  and  extract  the 
sweet  honey  from  the  bottom  of  its  cnp. 

3.  The  cup  of  a  flower  is  called  the  calyx. 
The  calyx  is  sometimes  deep,  and  it  has  a  very 
narrow  opening.  With  its  long  and  sharp  bill, 
the  humming-bird  can  reach  to  the  bottom  of 
the  flower,  where  all  its  sweetness  lies. 

4.  The  tongue  of  the  humming-bird  is  forked  ; 
that  is,  it  is  divided  so  that  it  looks  like  two 
tongues,  or  like  the  prongs  of  a  fork.  The 
feathers  on  its  wings  and  tail  are  black,  but 
those  on  its  body,  and  under  its  wings,  are  of 
a  greenish  brown,  with  a  fine  reddish  gloss, 
which  no  silver,  gold,  nor  velvet  can  imitate. 

5.  It  has  a  small  crest,  or  tuft  of  feathers,  on 
its  head.  T?ie  crest  is  green  at  the  bottom, 
and  brighter  than  gold  at  the  top.  It  sparkles 
in  the  sun  like  a  little  star  in  the  middle  of  its 
forehead.  The  bill  is  black,  straight,  and  slen- 
der, and  of  the  length  of  a  small  pin. 

6.  This  bird  keeps  its  wings  in  such  rapid 
motion,  that  their  beautiful  color  can  only  be 
seen  by  the  glitter.  This  rapid  motion  of  its 
wings  causes  a  humming  sound,  and  from  this 
sound  it  has  its  name  of  humming-bird. 


170  NATIOIS^AL    SECOND    READEE. 

7.  The  humming-lDird  lays  but  two  eggs,  and 
they  are  about  the  size  of  small  peas.  The 
eggs  are  as  white  as  snow,  with  a  few  yellow 
specks  on  them.  These  birds  hatch  their  eggs 
in  ten  days. 

8.  When  the  young  first  appear,  they  are  of 
the  size  of  a  blue-bottle  fly.  The  plumage  of 
the  young  is  not  so  bright  as  that  of  the  old 
birds. 

9.  The  humming-bird  is  easily  tamed.  In 
an  hour  after  it  has  been  caught,  the  little 
cheerful  captive  will  often  come  and  suck  the 
honey,  or  sugar  and  water,  from  flowers  held 
out  to  it. 

10.  In  a  few  hours  more  it  becomes  tame 
enough  to  sip  sweets  from  a  saucer,  and  soon 
it  will  come  to  the  hand  that  feeds  it.  In 
dark  or  rainy  weather,  it  seems  to  pass  most 
of  the  time  dozing  on  the  perch,  or  roost,  in 
its  cage. 

11.  The  humming-bird  is  a  brave  little  fellow. 
It  sometimes  dares  to  attack  other  birds  much 
larger  than  itself,  if  they  go  too  near  its  nest. 
He  attacks  even  the  king-bird,  and  drives  the 
martin  back  to  his  box. 

12.  Sometimes  it  will  attack  the  yellow-bii'd 
and  the  sparrow  without  any  provocation.      I 


SUBTONIC    COMBIJS^ATIOJS^S. 


171 


hope  none  of  my  little  readers  wUl  copy  the 
bad  example  of  these  pretty  little  birds,  and 
quarrel  purposely  with  other  children,  larger 
or  smaller  than  themselves. 


EXERCISE    IN    ARTICULATION. 


dr, 


SrB-TONIC  COMBINATIONS. 


as  in  JZade, 

hhme, 

blaze. 

blaek. 

bland ; 

a 

^Zast, 

hlesik. 

blesit. 

bleed. 

bles&. 

n 

glsLze, 

gla,sQ, 

glsiRce, 

gleam. 

glean ; 

a 

glee, 

glide. 

^Zimpse, 

globe, 

glue. 

ii, 

brsiVQ, 

Jrain, 

break. 

broad. 

broth ; 

i£ 

Jrass, 

hrsLUch, 

Jrick, 

bring, 

brink. 

a 

drsim. 

d/'SLWl, 

dream, 

dread, 

dregs ; 

a 

dresQ, 

drive, 

drink, 

drought, 

droyvn. 

u 

grsLce, 

^/•apes. 

grave, 

grand. 

grant ; 

u 

green, 

greet, 

^rind. 

gri^e. 

grove. 

LESSON     LIV. 


Ridge  (r!j),  top  or  upper  part. 

Sig'  nal,  a  sign. 

Bris  tly  (bris'  sli),  with  rough 

standing  hairs. 
Patience   (pi'shens),  the  act 

of  bearing  quietly. 
Muz'zle,  nose  and  mouth  of 

an  animal. 
Or'  i  gin,  the  beginning. 


Grey'  hound,  a  tall  swift  dog 

kept  for  hunting. 
En  a'  ble,  to  give  power  to. 
Dig'  ni  fied,  noble. 
Scru'pulous,  nice;  exact. 
Sus  pi'  Cious,  thinking  evil. 
Fi  del'  i  ty,  faithfulness. 
Cu  ri  os'  i  ty,  anxiety  to  see 

or  know. 


172 


NATIOI^AL    SECOJ^D    READEE. 


MAIDA,     THE    SCOTCH    GREYHOUND. 

A  HOUND  is  a  dog,  with  long,  smooth,  hang- 
-^-^  ing  ears,  and  long  limbs,  that  enable  him 
to  run  very  swiftly.  The  greyhound  is  not  so 
called  on  account  of  his  color,  but  from  a  word 
which  denotes  his  Grecian  origin. 

2.  The  Scotch  grey- 
hound is  a  larger  and 
more  powerful  ani- 
mal than  the  common 
greyhound ;  and  its 
hair,  instead  of  being 
sleek  and  smooth,  is 
long,  stiff  and  bris- 
tly. It  can  endure 
great  fatigue. 

3.  Sir  Walter  Scott 
had  a  very  fine  dog  of  this  kind.  His  name 
was  Maida.  He  was  one  of  the  finest  dogs 
of  the  kind  ever  seen  in  Scotland,  not  only 
on  account  of  his  beauty  and  dignified  ap- 
pearance, but  also  from  his  great  size  and 
strength. 

4.  When  Sir  Walter  traveled  through  strange 
towns,  Maida  was  usually  surrounded  by  crowds 
of   people.      He  indulged  their  curiosity  with 


MAIDA,     THE    GEEYHOUND.  173 

great  patience  until  it  began  to  be  trouble- 
some, and  then  he  gave  a  single  short  bark, 
as  a  signal  that  they  must  trouble  him  no 
more. 

5.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  fidelity,  obe- 
dience, and  attachment  of  this  dog  to  his  mas- 
ter, whom  he  seldom  quitted,  and  on  whom  he 
was  a  constant  attendant,  when  traveling. 

6.  Maida  was  a  high-spirited  and  beauti- 
ful dog,  with  black  ears,  cheeks,  back,  and 
sides.  The  tip  of  his  tail  was  white.  His 
muzzle,  neck,  tliroat,  breast,  and  legs  were 
also  white. 

7.  The  hair  on  his  whole  body  and  limbs 
was  rough  and  shaggy,  and  particularly  so  on 
the  neck,  throat,  and  breast.  That  on  the 
ridge  of  the  neck  he  used  to  raise,  like  a  lion's 
mane,  when  excited  to  anger. 

8.  His  disposition  was  gentle  and  peace- 
able, both  to  men  and  animals  ;  but  he  showed 
marked  symptoms  of  anger  to  ill-dressed  or 
blackguard-looking  people,  whom  he  always 
regarded  with  a  suspicious  eye,  and  whose  mo- 
tions he  watched  with  the  most  scrupulous 
jealousy. 


174 


NATIOI^AL    SECOND    READEE. 


LESSON     LV 


Sheaves,  bundles  of  grain. 
Carved,  cut  with  a  cMsel. 
Por  trait  (p6r'  tr4t),  picture. 
Re  straint',  Mnderance. 
In'  ci  dent,  what  takes  place. 
A  ver'  sion,  dislike. 
Spec  ta'  tor,  one  who  looks  on. 


Ma  jes'  tic,  like  a  king. 

In  scrip' tion,something  writ- 
ten. 

Ag'  i  ta  ted,  shaken. 

Ex  hib'  it  ed,  showed. 

Recommend',  to  praise  to 
another. 


^.t^>-    ,% 


MAI  DA,    THE    SCOTCH    GREYHOUND— Concluded. 

Qi  IE,  WALTER  used  to  give  an  amusing  ac- 
^  count  of  an  incident  whicli  befell  Maida  in 
one  of  his  chases.      "  I  was  once  riding  over  a 


175 


field,  on  wMch  tlie  reapers  were  at  work,  the 
stooks  or  bundles  of  grain  being  placed  beMnd 
them,  as  is  nsual. 

2.  ^'Maida,  having  found  a  hare,  began  , to 
chase  her,  to  the  great  amusement  of  the  spec- 
tators, as  the  hare  tume'd  very  often  and  very 
swiftly  among  the  stooks.  At  length,  being 
hard  pressed,  she  fairly  bolted  into  one  of  them. 

8.  "  Maida  went  in  headlong  after  her,  and 
the  stook  began  to  be  much  agitated  in  va- 
rious directions ;  at  length  the  sheaves  tum- 
bled down,  and  the  hare  and  the  dog,  terrified 
alike  at  their  overthrow,  ran  different  ways,  to 
the  great  amusement  of  the  spectators." 

4.  Among  several  peculiarities  which  Maida 
possessed,  one  was  a  strong  aversion  to  artists, 
arising  from  the  frequent  restraints  he  was  sub- 
jected to,  in  having  his  portrait  taken,  on  ac- 
count of  his  majestic  appearance. 
.  5.  The  instant  he  saw  a  pencil  and  paper 
produced,  he  prepared  to  beat  a  retreat ;  and, 
if  forced  to  remain,  he  exhibited  the  strongest 
marks  of  displeasure. 

6.  Maida' s  bark  was  deep  and  hollow.  Some- 
times he  amused  himself  with  howling,  in  a  very 
tiresome  way.  When  he  was  very  fond  of  his 
friends,  he  used  to  grin,  tucking  up  his  whole 


176 


l^ATIOI^AL    SECOIS^D    EEADEE. 


lips,  and  showing  all  Ms  teetli ;  but  this  was 
only  when  he  veiy  much  desired  to  recom- 
mend himself. 

7.  Maida  lies  buried  at  the  gate  of  Abbots- 
ford,  Sir  Walter's  country-seat,  which  he  long 
protected.  A  gravestone  is  placed  over  him, 
on  which  is  carved  the  figure  of  a  dog.  It 
bears  the  following  inscription : 

"Beneath  the  sculpttteed  foem  "WHicn  late  tou  woek, 
Sleep  soundly,  Maida,  at  toub  hastee^s  doob." 


LESSON     LVI. 


Screen,  something  that  shel- 
ters or  hides. 

Cu  ri  os'  i  ty,  something  rarely 
seen. 

Ma  chin'  er  y,  an  arrangement 
of  wheels  and  other  things  by 
which  labor  is  done. 

Inter  11  gent,  easily  under- 
standing. 


In  quls'  1  tlve,  apt  to  ask  ques- 
tions. 

Automaton  (4t6m'aton),  a 
self-moving  machine. 

Clar  1  o  net',  a  wind  instru- 
ment of  music. 

Pi  an  o-for  te(pe  S' no-fir'  te),  a 
musical  stringed  instmment 
with  keys. 


THE    AUTOMATON    C  LA  R  I  O  N  ET  -  P  LA  YE  R. 

AGEN'TLEMAN,  by  the  name  of  Roberts, 
had  a  little  son,  of  about  eight  years  of 
age,  named  George,  who  was  a  very  bright 
and  intelligent  lad. 


AUTOMATOIf    CLAEIO]^ET-PLAYEE.  177 

2.  By  intelligent,  I  mean  that  lie  easily  un- 
derstood what  was  said  to  him.  This  little  boy 
was  also  very  inqnisitive.  By  inquisitive,  I 
mean  that  he  asked  a  great  many  questions,  in 
order  to  understand  what  he  heard  or  saw. 

3.  His  father,  one  day,  took  George  to  see  a 
very  great  curiosity,  which  was  exhibited  in 
Boston.  A  German  had  made  the  figure  of  a 
man,  and  dressed  it  very  handsomely,  and  had 
put  a  great  deal  of  work  on  the  inside  of  the 
man. 

4.  He  had  also  a  door,  or  opening,  in  the 
hack  of  the  man,  where  any  one  could  see  how 
it  was  made  to  move  its  eyes,  its  arms,  and  its 
fingers. 

6.  This  wooden  man  was  called  an  autom- 
aton, because  it  appeared  to  move  itself,  while, 
all  the  time,  it  was  not  the  man  that  moved, 
but  the  work,  called  machinery,  in  the  inside  of 
the  man,  that  moved. 

6.  As  the  wooden  man  stood  up  in  the  room, 
it  was  at  first  covered  with  a  screen.  The 
maker  would  go  behind  the  screen,  and  wind 
up  the  machinery,  in  the  same  manner  that  a 
watch  or  clock  is  wound  up. 

7.  Tlie  maker  then  moved  the  screen,  and 
the  wooden  man  lifted  up  its  head,  and  bowed 

12 


178 


NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


three  times  to  all  the  people  that  had  come  to 
see  it ;  turning  its  head  first  to  the  riglit,  then  to 
the  left,  and  then  in  front. 

8.  It  lield  in  its  hand  a  musical  instrument, 
called  a  clarionet.  When  it  had  bowed,  as  1 
have  said,  it  raised  its  eyes,  and  lifted  the  clar- 
ionet up  to  its  mouth,  and  closing  its  Ups  tight 
around  the  mouth-piece  of  the  instrument,  it 
raised  its  fingers,  one  after  another,  and  played 
some  very  sweet  tunes. 

9.  Its  maker  also  played  on  a  piano-forte  the 
same  tunes  with  the  wooden  man.  George  and 
his  father,  and  all  the  persons  in  the  room,  were 
delighted  with  the  music  which  it  made. 

10.  In  the  next  lesson,  you  will  read  what 
George  Roberts  and  his  father  said,  when  they 
returned  home  from  visitiQg  the  musical  wood- 
en man.  But  first  I  will  tell  you  its  name.  It 
is  called  the  Automaton  Clarionet-Player. 


LESSON     LVII. 


Reeds  (of  an  organ),  pipes 
tlirough  whicli  air  is  blown. 

Pow'  der,  fine  dry  particles. 

Cof  fee,tlie  berry  of  a  tree  from 
which  a  beverage  is  made. 

Ker  nel  (k5r'  nel)  any  thing  in- 
side of  a  shell  or  husk. 


Bellows  (bSrius),  a  machine 
with  which  air  is  blown. 

Con  versed',  talked  together. 

Bev'  er  age,  a  drink. 

Di'  a  logue,  a  conversation  be- 
tween two  or  more. 

Ex  hi  bi'  tion,  a  show. 


AUTOMATOIT    CLARIOIS^ET-PLAYEK.  179 

THE    AUTOMATON    CLARIONET-PLAYER— Continued. 

A  FTER  George  and  Ms  father  liad  left  tlie 
-^-^  room,  where  they  had  seen  the  wooden 
man,  they  conversed  together  about  it,  on  their 
way  homeward. 

2,  When  two  persons  talk  together  about 
any  thing,  what  they  say  to  one  another  is 
called  a  dialogue.  The  following  is  the  con- 
versation, or  dialogue,  which  took  place  be- 
tween George  and  his  father  at  that  time. 

FatJier,  Well,  George,  my  son,  how  were  you 
pleased  with  the  exhibition  % 

George.  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,  father, 
by  an  exhibition.     I  never  saw  such  a  thing. 

Father.  Did  not  the  man  show  you  the  beau- 
tiful wooden  man,  that  made  the  sweet  music  % 

George.  Oh  yes,  father,  I  saw  the  wooden 
man.     Is  that  an  exhibition  % 

Father.  When  any  thing  is  showed  to  a  num- 
ber of  persons,  it  is  called  an  exhibition  of  that 
thing.  The  person  who  shows  it  is  called  an 
exhibitor,  and  the  thing  is  said  to  be  exhibited. 
And  now,  George,  what  do  you  think  of  the 
exhibition  % 

George.  It  was  very  pleasing,  father,  and  the 


180  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 

man  was  handsome,  and  it  made  very  sweet 
music.     But  was  it  not  alive,  father  ? 

Father.  No,  my  son,  not  any  more  than  a  car- 
riage is  alive,  when  it  moves,  and  we  ride  in  it. 

George.  What  made  it  move,  father,  if  it  was 
not  alive  ? 

Father.  I  will  answer  your  question  by  ask- 
ing another.  You  have  seen  Anna,  the  cook, 
put  coffee  into  the  mill,  and  turn  the  handle  of 
the  mill,  to  grind  the  coffee.  The  coffee  came 
out  of  the  mill,  not  in  kernels,  or  berries,  as  it 
was  put  in,  but,  as  you  know,  in  the  form  of 
powder. 

George.  Yes,  father,  but  Anna  grinds  the 
coffee,  and  that  breaks  up  the  berries  into  very 
small  pieces. 

Father.  True,  my  dear;  but  Anna  merely 
puts  the  coffee  into  the  mill,  and  turns  the  han- 
dle, and  the  fine  coffee  falls  out.  It  is  not 
Anna,  but  the  work,  called  machinery,  inside 
of  the  mill,  that  grinds  the  coffee.  The  mill 
will  not  grind  the  coffee  unless  Anna  turns  the 
handle. 

George.  Is  there  work,  or  machinery,  in  the 
musical  man,  father  ? 

Father.  Yes,  George.  Tliere  is  a  great  deal 
of  machinery  inside  of  an  automaton,  and  the 


AUTOMATON    CLAEIONET-PLAYEE.  181 

wonder  is  liow  a  man  can  make  it  produce  so 
many  and  such  beautiful  effects. 

George,  Does  not  tlie  wooden  man  make  the 
music,  father? 

Father,  The  wooden  man  can  not  make  music, 
of  itself,  my  son.  Some  of  the  machinery  in 
the  inside  of  the  wooden  man  makes  a  pair  of 
"bellows  hlow,  other  machinery  carries  the  wind 
to  little  reeds,  and  still  other  machinery  causes 
the  wooden  man  to  lift  up  its  fingers,  and  move 
its  head  and  its  eyes ;  Ibut  it  can  not  walk, 
nor  do  any  thing,  except  what  the  machinery 
makes  it  do. 

George.  But  is  it  not  very  curious,  father,  to 
see  it  move  its  eyes  and  its  head,  and  look 
around  the  room,  as  if  it  were  alive  ? 

Father.  Yes,  George ;  and  if  the  wooden  man 
could  walk  about,  and  talk  too,  it  would  be  the 
greatest  curiosity  in  the  world. 

George.  Father,  are  there  any  wooden  men 
that  can  walk  about  and  talk  ? 

Father.  There  are  many  men  that  can  walk 
about  and  talk,  but  none  that  are  made  of  wood. 

George.  But  you  have  told  me,  father,  that 
all  men,  and  even  you  yourself,  were  once  little 
boys  and  helpless  infants.  Was  the  wooden 
man  ever  a  little  wooden  boy  ? 


182  NATIOI^AL    SECOIfD    BEADER. 

In  the  next  lesson,  you  may  read  what  answer 
George's  father  made  to  this  question,  and  what 
further  he  said  to  his  son. 


LESSON     LVIII 


Dis  placed',  put  out  of  order. 
Med'  i  cine,  any  thing  used  to 
cure  disease  or  sickness. 


Ore  a'  tor,  our  Maker  ;  God. 
Wor'  ship,  to  adore ;  to  pay 
divine  honors  to. 


THE    AUTOMATON    CLARIONET-PLAYER— Concluded. 

""VTO,  my  son,"  said  George  Roberts'  father. 
-^^  '^  It  was  made  a  wooden  man,  and  always 
will  he  a  wooden  man.  But  curious  and  won- 
derful as  it  is,  it  is  hy  no  means  so  wonderful 
as  any  living  man  or  child  that  you  see. 

2.  "  You  have  a  great  deal  more  machinery  in 
you  than  the  wooden  musical  man,  and  so  have 
I,  and  everybody  else.  But  we  can  not  see 
our  machinery.  We  know  it  is  in  us ;  yet  it 
can  not  be  seen  while  we  are  alive. 

3.  ''So  long  as  we  live,  this  machinery  is  al- 
ways at  work.  By  means  of  it,  we  walk,  and 
talk,  and  laugh,  and  cry,  and  eat,  and  drink. 

4.  ''We  have  a  great  Creator  who  made  us, 
and  the  smallest  of  his  works  is  much  more 
wonderful  than  any  thing  that  man  ever  made. 


AUTOMATO]^    CLAEIONET-PLAYEE.  183 

5.  ''We  have  never  seen  this  great  Creator, 
but  he  always  sees  us,  and  knows  what  we  do. 
The  wooden  man  will  sometimes  get  out  of 
order,  because  the  machinerj  breaks  or  gets 
displaced. 

6.  ''When  our  machinery  gets  out  of  order, 
we  are  ill,  or  sick.  The  medicine  that  we  are  re- 
quired to  take  when  we  are  ill,  is  intended  to 
put  the  machinery  in  order  to  make  it  work  right. 

7.  "The  wooden  man  does  not  take  medi- 
cine, because  it  would  do  it  no  good.  When 
it  is  out  of  order,  the  man  who  made  it  can 
open  its  back  and  put  the  machine  in  order. 

8.  "And  now,  my  son,  I  wish  you  to  think 
of  our  great  Creator,  who  made  us  and  all  the 
machinery  in  us.  How  wonderful  he  is,  how 
great,  how  good  to  us !  Every  thing  we  do 
and  every  thing  we  enjoy,  we  owe  to  him. 

9.  "He  watches  over  us  at  aU  times,  whether 
we  are  sleeping  or  waking.  He  made  all  things 
that  we  see  around  us,  in  the  fields,  and  the 
woods,  and  everywhere  else. 

10.  "We  should  love,  worship,  and  obey  our 
great  Creator,  and  attend  to  all  that  he  tells 
us.  He  has  given  us  a  book  in  which  he  has 
told  us  what  to  do.  That  book  is  called  the  Bi- 
ble, and  the  name  of  our  great  Creator  is  God." 


184  NATIOKAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


LESSON     LIX. 

Toiled,  worked  hard.  Pierc'  ing,  cutting  ;  keen. 

Starve,  to  die  from  hunger  or  i  Mod'  est,  not  bold, 
want.  1  Fleet' ing,  moving  rapidly. 

FAITH    IN    GOD. 

~T  KNEW  a  widow  very  poor, 
-L    Who  four  small  cMdren  had  : 
The  oldest  was  but  six  years  old, 
A  gentle,  modest  lad. 

2.  And  very  hard  this  widow  toiled 

To  feed  her  children  four ; 

A  noble  heart  the  mother  had, 

Though  she  was  very  poor. 

3.  To  labor,  she  would  leave  her  home. 

For  children  must  be  fed  ; 
And  glad  was  she  when  she  could  buy 
A  shilling' s  worth  of  bread. 

4.  And  this  was  all  the  children  had 

On  any  day  to  eat : 
They  drank  their  water,  ate  their  bread, 
But  never  tasted  meat. 

5.  One  day,  when  snow  was  falling  fast, 

And  piercing  was  the  air, 


FAITH    I]S^    GOD.  185 


I  thought  that  I  would  go  and  see 
How  these  poor  children  were. 

6.  Ere  long  I  reached  their  cheerless  home  ; 

'Twas  searched  by  every  breeze  ; 
When,  going  in,  the  eldest  child 
I  saw  upon  his  knees. 

7.  I  paused  to  listen  to  the  boy  : 

He  never  raised  his  head. 
But  still  went  on,  and  said,  ''Give  us 
This  day  our  daily  bread." 

8.  I  waited  till  the  child  was  done, 

Still  listening  as  he  prayed  ; 
And  when  he  rose,  I  asked  him  why 
That  prayer  he  then  had  said. 

9.  ''Why,  sir,"  said  he,  " this  morning,  when 

My  mother  went  away. 
She  wept,  because  she  said  she  had 
'No  bread  for  us  to-day. 

10.  "  She  said  we  children  now  must  starve, 

Our  father  being  dead  ; 
And  then  I  told  her  not  to  cry. 
For  I  could  get  some  bread. 

11.  "  '  Our  Father,'  sir,  the  prayer  begins, 

Which  made  me  think  that  he. 


186  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

As  we  have  no  kind  father  here, 
Would  our  kind  Father  be. 

12.  "And  then  you  know,  sir,  that  the  prayer 

Asks  God  for  bread  each  day ; 
So  in  the  corner,  sir,  I  went ; 
And  that's  what  made  me  pray." 

13.  I  quickly  left  that  wretched  room, 

And  went  with  fleeting  feet, 
And  very  soon  was  back  again 
With  food  enough  to  eat. 

14   '^  I  tJiougM  God  heard  me,"  said  the  boy. 
I  answered  with  a  nod  ; 
I  could  not  speak,  but  much  I  thought 
Of  that  boy's  faith  in  God. 


st, 


EXERCISES    IN    ARTICULATION 

ATONIC     COMBINATIONS. 


sh^    as  in  ^/t'ate,      sld%         ^Ml,      sJdrt,       sh\\\k 


5^ull,  t9(?arf,  5<?old,     scorn^  scovA. 

spsLce,  .^ade,  5^an,     ^ark,  ^^eak ; 

speed,  spell,  spend,  spice,  spike, 

stedn,  5^ainp,  stsLnd',    si&rt,  sthlk  ; 

stick,  stone,  stoYe,    stooip,  stout, 

square,  ^^uash,  5^iiat,    ^^ueak,  squsdl  ; 

squesil,  squeeze,  squint,  squirm,  .9^iiirt. 


CALLING    HIS    SHEEP    BY    I^AME. 


187 


LESSON     LX 


Fold,  a  pen  for  sheep. 
Shep  herd  (shSp'  erd),  one  wLo 
tends  and  guards  sheep. 


Wan'  der,  to  leave  home. 
Stran'  ger,  one  unknown. 
East'ern,towardtherisingsun. 


CALLING    HIS    SHEEP    BY    NAME. 

A  GENTLEMAN"  who  was  traveling  in  Greece, 
■^^-^  passed  a  flock  of  sheep,  in  his  morning 
walk,  and  asked  the  shepherd  if  it  was  common 
in  the  Eastern  countries  to  give  names  to  sheep.  ' 

2.  He  said  that  it  was,  and  that  the  sheep 
ohey  the  shepherd,  when  he  calls  them  by  their 
names. 


188  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 

3.  The  gentleman  asked  the  shepherd  to  call 
out  one  of  his  sheep.  When  he  did  so,  it  left 
the  flock  at  once,  and  ran  up  to  the  shepherd, 
with  looks  of  pleasure,  and  with  a  ready  obe- 
dience, which  he  had  never  before  seen  in  any- 
other  animal. 

4.  The  Bible  says  of  the  good  Shepherd : 
^'  The  sheep  hear  his  voice  ;  and  he  calleth  his 
own  sheep  by  name,  and  leadeth  them  out. 
And  when  he  putteth  forth  his  own  sheep,  he 
goeth  before  them,  and  the  sheep  follow  him, 
for  they  know  his  voice.  And  a  stranger  will 
they  not  follow,  but  will  flee  from  him ;  for 
they  know  not  the  voice  of  a  stranger." 

5.  The  Lord  says:  "I  am  the  good  Shep- 
herd, and  know  my  sheep,  and  am  known  of 
mine." 

6.  The  gentleman,  of  whom  we  were  just 
speaking,  also  asked  the  shepherd  whether  the 
sheep  would  come  when  a  stranger  called  them 
by  name;  but  he  said  they  would  not,  but 
would  flee  at  the  voice  of  a  stranger. 

7.  He  said  that  many  of  his  sheep  were  still 
wild,  because  they  had  not  yet  learned  their 
names  ;  but  that,  when  taught,  each  would  learn 
its  own  name.  Those  which  know  their  own 
names,  he  called  tame  sheep. 


THE    ECHO.  189 


8.  Remember,  dear  cliildren,  that  the  Lord 
is  your  good  Shepherd,  and  knows  all  of  your 
names.  You  hear  his  voice,  and  come  at  his 
call,  when  you  do  good  ;  but  you  wander  from 
his  fold,  and  do  not  hear  his  voice,  when  you 
do  what  is  wrong. 

9.  All  of  you  have  been  taught  what  it  is  to 
do  right,  and  all  of  you  know  what  it  is  to  do 
wrong.  We  hope  that  none  of  you  are  wild 
sheep,  but  that  all  know  the  voice  of  your  good 
Shepherd,  and  will  come  when  he  calls  you. 


LESSON     LXI 


Ech'  a,  n  sound  sent  back.         I  Kea  son  {rhi'  zn),  the  cause. 
Fright;  ened,  filled  with  fear.  |  Effect',  something  done. 

THE    ECHO. 

A  BOY,  who  had  taken  great  pains  to  learn 
^^-^  to  bark  like  a  dog,  when  walking  through 
a  wood,  thought  this  would  be  a  fine  place  to 
bark.     So  he  said,  ''  Bow  !  wow  !  wow  !" 

2.  As  soon  as  he  had  made  this  noise,  a  voice 
in  the  wood  said,  "  Bow  !  wow !  wow  !" 

3.  "Doggy!  doggy!"  said  he,  and  there  was 
a  quick  reply  of  "  Doggy !  doggy !" 

4.  ''  Who  are  you  f  called  the  boy. 


190  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEABER. 

5.  ''Who  are  youf    said  the  voice  in  the 
wood. 

6.  "  Why,  Edward  Blair !"  answered  the  boy. 

7.  "  Why,  Edward  Blair  !"  said  the  voice  in 
the  wood. 

8.  "  Why  do  you  mock  me  f  said  Edward. 

9.  "  Why  do  you  mock  me  ?"  said  the  voice 
in  the  wood. 

10.  "  What  a  fool  you  are  !"  said  the  angry 
boy ;  and  the  quick  reply  of  the  voice  in  the 
wood  was,  "  What  a  fool  you  are  !" 

11.  "  If  I  can  find  you,  I  will  whip  you  !"  said 
Edward.  As  soon  as  he  had  said  this,  the  voice 
in  the  wood  shouted,  ''If  I  can  find  you,  I  will 
whip  you  !" 

12.  This  so  frightened  him,  that  he  ran  home, 
in  great  haste,  and  told  his  father  there  was  a 
bad  boy  in  the  woods,  shouting  and  calling  him 
names. 

13.  "Would  you  like  to  know  the  name  of 
the  bad  boy  in  the  woods  ?"  said  his  father. 

14.  "  Oh  yes,  father  ;  and  why  could  I  not  find 
him?" 

15.  "Edward,  the  name  of  this  boy,  as  you 
call  him,  is  ^cho.  The  reason  why  you  can  not 
find  him  is,  that  an  echo  is  only  a  sound.  You 
can  not  see  a  sound,  can  you  ?" 


THE    ECHO.  191 


16.  ''No,  father;  "but  where  did  the  sound 
come  from  ?" 

17.  ''First,  Edward,  if  you  should  throw  a 
stone  into  a  pond,  you  may  tell  me  what  effect 
it  would  have  upon  the  water." 

18.  "  It  would  set  the  water  in  motion." 

19.  "  Well,  my  son,  if  the  water  strike  against 
a  rock,  when  it  is  in  motion,  what  effect  would 
the  rock  have  upon  the  water  V^ 

20.  "The  rock  would  send  the  water  back 
again,"  said  Edward. 

21.  "Just  so,"  said  his  father,  "is  an  echo 
produced.  When  you  speak  or  shout,  the  sound 
of  your  voice  sets  the  air  in  motion,  and  when 
the  motion  of  the  air  strikes  against  a  tree,  or 
some  other  hard  substance,  the  sound  is  sent 
back,  so  that  you  hear  your  own  words." 

22.  After  his  father  had  thus  explained  to 
this  little  boy  what  the  echo  is,  he  made  a  friend 
of  it,  and  used  often  to  amuse  himself  and  his 
friends  with  its  powers. 


LESSON     LXII 


Wight  (wit),  a  person. 
Deign  (din),  to  think  fit. 
Dell,  a  hollow  place ;  a  little 
valley. 


Sul'  try,  very  hot  and  close. 
Re  mote',  far  from ;  distant. 
Prov'  i  dence,  the  care  of  God. 
Di'  a  dem,  a  king's  crown. 


192  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


THE    VIOLET. 


nnvOWN  in  a  humble  dell 

-*-^     A  modest  violet  chanced  to  dwell, 

Remote  from  gayer  flowers  : 
Its  days  were  passed  in  simple  ease  ; 
It  sipped  the  dew  and  kissed  the  hreeze, 

'Nor  thought  of  happier  hours. 

2.  Long  lived  it  in  this  quiet  way, 
Till,  on  a  hot  and  sultry  day, 

About  the  midst  of  June, 
It  chanced  to  spy  a  lady  fair, 
All  dressed  in  satins  rich  and  rare. 

Come  walking  by,  at  noon. 

3.  And  thus  the  silly  flower  began  : 

"  It  much  should  like  to  live  with  man, 

And  other  flowers  to  see  : 
Why  is  it,  for  I  can  not  tell. 
That  I  forever  here  should  dwell. 

Where  there  is  none  but  me  ?" 

4.  While  thus  it  spoke,  the  lady  stopped 
To  pick  up  something  she  had  dropped, 

And  there  the  flower  she  spied ; 


THE    VIOLET.  193 


And  soon  slie  plncked  it  from  its  Ibed, 
Just  shook  the  dew-drop  from  its  head, 
And  placed  it  at  her  side. 

5.  Soon  at  the  lady's  splendid  home 
The  violet  found  that  she  was  come, 

For  all  was  bright  and  gay  ; 
And  then  upon  the  mantel-shelf, 
With  many  a  flower  beside  herself, 

Was  placed,  without  delay. 

6.  And  oh,  how  glad  and  proud  was  she 
In  such  a  splendid  place  to  be  ! 

But  short  was  her  delight ; 
For  rose  and  lily  turned  away. 
And  would  not  deign  a  word  to  say 

To  such  a  country  wight. 

7.  She  passed  the  day  in  much  disgrace, 

^  And  wished  that  she  might  change  her  place. 

And  be  at  home  again. 
She  sighed  for  her  own  mossy  bed, 
Where  she  might  rest  her  aching  head  ; 

But  now  to  wish  were  vain. 

8.  Next  morn,  the  housemaid,  passing  by. 
Just  chanced  the  little  flower  to  spy, 

And  then,  without  delay. 


13 


194 


NATIOITAL    SECOND    EEADER. 


Slie  rudely  seized  its  tender  stalk, 
And  threw  it  in  the  gravel  walk, 
•And  left  it  to  decay. 

9.  And  thus  it  mourned  :  ^'0  silly  flower, 
To  wish  to  leave  my  native  bower  I 

Was  it  for  this  I  sighed  ? 
Oh,  had  I  more  contented  been, 
And  lived  unnoticed  and  unseen, 
I  might  not  thus  have  died  1" 

10.  Nor  let  this  lesson  be  forgot : 
Eemain  contented  with  the  lot 

That  Providence  decrees. 
Contentment  is  a  richer  gem 
Than  sparkles  in  a  diadem, 

And  gives  us  greater  ease. 


LESSON     LXIII. 


Fra'  grance,  sweet  smell. 

Trump'  et,  a  wind  instrument 
of  music. 

Sens'  es,  the  powers  by  which 
we  are  able  to  perceive  out- 
ward thing's. 

Nat  ure  (nit'  yer),  what  is  pro- 
duced or  made ;  birth. 

Pro  nounce',toutter;  to  speak 


Deprived',  stripped  of  some 
thing. 

De  facts',  faults;  short-comings 

Ac'ci  dent,  that  which  falls  or 
happens  ;  a  chance  event 

Per'  feet  ly,  completely,  with- 
out fault. 

Im  pos'  si  ble,  that  which  can 
not  be  or  be  done. 


THE    FIVE    SENSES.  195 

THE    FIVE    SENSES. 

A  LL  persons,  who  are  not  deprived  by  nature 
-^^^  or  by  accident  of  sometbing  wbicb  belongs 
to  them  by  tbe  gift  of  God,  their  Creator,  have 
^ve  senses. 

2.  The  names  of  these  five  senses  are  hear- 
ing, seeing,  feeling,  smelling,  and  tasting.  Be- 
sides these  senses,  they  have  a  gift  called  the 
power  of  speech. 

3.  Infants  can  hear,  see,  feel,  smell,  and 
taste ;  but  they  can  not  speak  at  first.  By  de- 
grees, they  learn  to  speak,  and  they  speak  the 
sooner,  if  they  have  a  little  brother  or  sister, 
who  tries  to  teach  them  to  pronounce  little 
words,  such  as  they  can  understand. 

4.  Some  persons  are  born  without  some  of 
the  senses.  The  blind  are  those  who  can  not 
see.  Sometimes  persons  are  born  blind,  and 
sometimes  they  lose  their  sight  by  disease,  or 
by  some  unfortunate  accident. 

5.  Some  persons  are  deprived  of  speech,  that 
is,  they  can  not  speak  a  word.  Such  persons 
are  5ften  born  without  the  power  of  speech. 
Some  persons  are  also  bom  deaf,  that  is,  they 
can  not  hear,  and  sometimes  they  become  deaf 
by  disease  or  by  accident. 


196  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

6.  Some  persons  are  also  bom  without  the 
sense  of  smell.  Such  persons  can  not  perceive 
the  fragrance  of  sweet  flowers,  or  any  other 
pleasant  odor.  And  some  persons  are  "bom 
with  some  defects,  by  which  they  can  neither 
hear,  see,  smell,  taste,  nor  feel,  so  quickly  or  so 
perfectly  as  others. 

7.  When  a  person  is  born  blind,  he  can  have 
no  idea  of  colors.  He  can  not  tell  wliite  from 
black,  nor  red  from  green,  nor  any  other  color. 

8.  A  person  once  tried  to  explain  to  a  man, 
who  was  bom  blind,  what  the  color  of  scarlet 
was  like.     Scarlet  is  a  bright,  red  color. 

9.  After  the  blind  man  had  heard  his  friend 
explain  for  a  long  time  what  scarlet  is  like,  he 
at  last  clapped  his  hands  with  joy,  and  said, 
"Oh,  I  know  now  what  scarlet  is.  It  is  like 
the  sound  of  a  trumpet." 

10.  I  suppose  you  know  that  there  is  nothing 
in  the  souad  of  a  trumpet,  or  of  any  other  iq- 
strument,  at  all  like  scarlet,  or  any  other  color. 

11.  But  this  story  shows  that  when  a  person 
is  bom  without  any  one  of  the  senses,  it  is  im- 
possible to  explain  to  such  a  person  any  thing 
which  bel5ngs  to  that  sense. 


THE    FIVE    SENSES. 


197 


LESSON     LXIV. 


Prac'  tice,  constant  use. 
An'  vil,  the  iron  block  on  wliicli 

metals  are  hammered. 
Im  proved.',  made  better. 


Fac'  111  ty ,  the  power  of  doing. 
Musician  (muzish'an),    one 

skilled  in  music. 
Educa'tion,  teaching. 


THE    FIVE    SENSES  — Concluded. 


ryiHE  five  senses,  seeing,  hearing,  smelling, 
-■-  tasting,  and  toucliing,  maj  all  be  improved 
by  education.  That  is,  persons  may  be  taught 
to  see  better,  hear  better,  and  do  every  thing 
better,  which  they  do  often,  or  practice  fre- 
quently. 

2.  Every  faculty  can  be  improved  by  prac- 
tice. Some  persons  can  perceive  many  things 
with  their  eyes  closed,  which  others  can  not 
perceive  with  their  eyes  open. 

3.  I  have  known  some  persons,  who  could 
tell,  by  feeling  alone,  one  piece  of  money  from 
another,  without  looking  at  it.  They  could 
tell  whether  it  was  good  money,  or  bad : 
whether  it  was  silver,  or  gold,  or  copper. 

4.  Some  persons  learn  to  see  a  great  way 
5ff.  Sailors,  who  watch  on  the  ocean,  can  see 
ships  and  boats,  at  a  great  distance,  distinctly, 
which  other  people  could  not  see  at  all. 


198  NATIOJN^AL    SECOND    BEADEE. 

5.  Musicians  notice  a  difference  in  sounds, 
which  other  persons  suppose  are  exactly  alike. 
And  every  person,  who  practices  the  use  of  any 
one  sense,  always  improves  that  sense,  so  that 
it  becomes  more  perfect. 

6.  So  also  in  talking.  Persons  who  are  care- 
ful to  speak  plainly,  and  to  pronounce  every 
syllable  of  a  word  distinctly,  learh  by  degrees 
to  speak  so  clearly,  that  everybody  knows  what 
they  say,  even  if  they  do  not  speak  loud. 

7.  They  can  be  heard  distinctly  in  a  large 
room,  when  others,  who  speak  much  louder, 
can  not  be  understood  at  all. 

8.  Every  thing,  that  we  do  often,  we  do  ea- 
sily. A  child,  who  walks  a  great  distance 
every  day,  will  soon  be  able  to  walk  a  long 
time  without  fatigue. 

9.  A  blacksmith  has  to  lift  a  very  heavy 
hammer,  and  to  strike  a  very  hard  blow  with  it 
on  the  anvil.  But  after  he  is  used  to  it,  it  be- 
comes as  easy  to  him  as  the  lifting  of  a  light 
hammer  is  to  another  man. 

10.  Now,  if  little  boys  and  girls  will  remem- 
ber what  I  have  told  them,  they  may  know  that 
every  lesson  which  they  learn  makes  the  next 
one  easier. 

11.  Although  they  may  not  like  to  learn  les- 


SUBTOPICS    AND    ATOPICS.  199 

sons  at  first,  if  they  study  them  well,  they  will 
become  easier  and  easier  every  day,  until  at 
last  they  are  learned  so  easily,  that  they  become 
a  pleasure,  rather  than  an  unpleasant  task. 


EXERChSE    IN    ARTICULATION. 

BTTB-TONIC  AND  A-TONIC  COMBINATIONS. 

c/^,     as  in  claim,      cZasp,     cZass,       cZear,  desm ; 

"      climb,      cling,     clink,      clo&e,  cloak, 

fl,       "      flak^,       fiamo^,    flag,        ^ash,  fla^ ; 

"     fleece,     fleet,     fle&h,      flow,  ^oor. 

pi,       "     place,      plain,    plate,     plead,  please ; 

"      ^Zedge,    pligi^t,  pluck,    plum,  plunge. 

si,        "      ^Zack,       ^Zate,      .sZave,      -^Zay,  ^Zed ; 

"      sleek,       sleeip,     slice,       slide,  sloo-p. 


LESSON     LXV. 

Gloom' y,  dark  ;  cheerless.       I  Extends',  stretches  out. 
Briiriant,  bright ;  shining.      |  In'  di  go,  dark  blue  color. 

COLORS. 

^TTHAT  makes  the  woods  and  the  green 
^  ^  meadows,  and  the  sweet-smelling  flowers, 
so  beautiful?  It  is  the  bright  colors,  which 
are  mixed  together  in  them,  that  make  them 
so  pleasing  to  the  eye. 


200  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 

2.  One  is  never  tired  of  looking  at  the  green 
grass  in  tlie  meadows,  the  wMte  and  red  blos- 
soms in  the  trees,  and  the  beautiful  blue  sky 
above  our  heads. 

3.  Why  do  we  not  see  them  in  the  dark 
night?  The  grass  is  on  the  meadows,  the 
blossoms  are  on  the  trees,  and  the  sky  is  still 
above  our  heads  in  the  night  time  ;  but  we 
can  not  see  the  bright  green  on  the  grass,  nor 
the  red  and  white  blossoms  on  the  trees,  nor 
the  soft  blue  in  the  sky. 

4.  Where  are  the  colors  in  the  night  time? 
They  have  gone  away,  but  they  will  return 
again  with  the  cheerful  light  of  day.  In  the 
night  time,  when  there  is  no  light,  every  thing 
looks  black. 

6.  The  colors  come  with  the  light,  and  when 
the  light  goes  away  the  gloomy  black  returns. 
Black,  then,  is  no  color,  but  only  the  absence  of 
light  and  color. 

6.  Did  you  ever '  see  a  beautiful  rainbow  ? 
There  all  kinds  of  bright  colors  are  seen. 
There  you  may  see  the  red,  orange,  yellow, 
green,  blue,  indigo,  and  violet,  all  separately, 
and  all  mixed  up  together. 

7.  The  ends  of  this  brilliant  bow  seem  to 
rest  on  the  earth,  while  it  extends  up  to  the 


COLOES.  201 


very  top  of  tlie  sky.  In  it,  as  I  liave  said,  you 
see  seven  colors ;  red,  orange,  yellow,  blue,  in- 
digo, green,  and  violet.  But  after  all,  there 
are  but  three  colors  in  the  bow,  and  these  are 
red,  blue,  and  yellow. 

8.  The  other  colors  are  only  a  mixture, 
formed  from  these.  When  the  blue  and  yel- 
low are  mixed  together,  they  make  a  green. 
When  the  blue  and  the  red  are  mixed,  they 
produce  a  violet,  or  purple. 

9.  The  beautiful  colors  in  the  fields,  the  trees, 
in  pictures  and  paintings,  and  on  the  feathers 
of  birds,  the  leaves  of  flowers,  and  every  object 
that  you  see,  all  are  produced  by  mixing  to- 
gether the  simple  colors,  blue,  yellow,  and  red. 
The  blue  you  see  in  the  sky,  the  red  in  the 
rose,  and  the  yellow  on  the  butter-cup  and  the 
bright  sun-flower. 

10.  But  the  poor  blind  boy  is  deprived  of  all 
these  beautiful  sights.  For  him,  there  is  no 
beautiful  sunrise  ;  no  purple  and  golden  sun- 
set ;  no  silver  moon ;  no  green  fields  nor  trees  ; 
not  a  bright  flower  or  bird.  They  are  all  15st 
to  him,  for  he  can  not  see  them.  How  thank- 
ful ought  you  to  be  to  your  heavenly  Father, 
who  has  opened  your  eyes  to  all  these  beautiful 
sights ! 


202 


NATIOT^AL    SECOND    KEADEE. 


LESSON     LXVI. 


THE    BLIND    ASYLUM 


XjN'  South.  Boston,  there  is  a  very  large  house, 
-^  with  very  many  rooms  in  it,  where  Mnd 
children  are  received,  to  be  taught  to  read, 
write,  and  spell. 

2.  It  may  seem  strange  to  you,  that  Wind 
children  can  be  taught  to  read,  when  they  can 
not  see  a  letter.     They' can  not  read  such  books 


THE    BLIJS^D    ASYLUM.  203 

as  you  read,  wMch  are  printed  with  "black  and 
red  letters,  for  they  can  see  no  colors. 

3.  But  there  are  books  made  on  purpose  for 
the  blind,  and  they  can  read  them,  by  feeling 
the  letters  with  their  fingers.  The  letters  are 
not  black,  nor  red,  but  are  of  the  same  color 
with  the  leaf  on  which  they  are  made. 

4.  The  letters  are  raised  on  the  page,  and 
stand  up,  something  like  buttons  on  your  dress. 
If  you  shut  your  eyes,  and  pass  your  fingers  up 
and  down  your  dress,  you  can  feel  the  buttons  ; 
and  if  one  button  is  larger,  or  smaller  than 
another,  you  can  tell,  by  feeling,  which  is  the 
larger  and  which  is  the  smaller,  without  open- 
ing your  eyes. 

5.  Sometimes,  too,  there  are  figures  on  some 
of  your  buttons,  and  others  are  plain.  With 
your  eyes  shut,  you  can  tell,  by  the  feeling, 
which  is  a  figured  button,  and  which  is  a  plain 
one.  In  this  manner,  the  blind  are  taught  to 
read,  by  feeling  the  letters.  By  long  practice, 
they  learn  to  read,  with  their  fingers,  almost  as 
fast  as  other  people  can  with  their  eyes. 

6.  I  know  a  blind  man,  who  when  he  hears 
of  any  thing  that  is  very  handsome,  or  pretty, 
asks  to  see  it.  He  can  not  see  it,  but  when  it  is 
put  into  his  hands,  he  feels  all  over  it,  and  very 


204  NATIOI^AL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

quickly  finds  out  as  mucli  about  it  as  most  peo- 
ple can,  who  see  it  with  their  eyes. 

7.  The  large  house,  where  the  "blind  children 
are  taught,  is  called  the  A  sy'lum  for  the  Blind. 
The  blind  children  are  there  taught  how  to 
read,  write,  and  spell ;  and  some  of  them  also 
are  taught  most  other  things  that  children  learn 
who  are  not  blind. 

8.  Some  of  the  blind  children  are  taught  to 
sing,  and  to  play  on  the  piano-forte,  on  the 
harp,  on  the  flute,  on  the  guitar,  or  violin,  or 
some  other  musical  instrument.  Some  learn 
to  make  almost  every  thing  that  others  can 
make,  who  are  not  deprived  of  their  sight. 

9.  Some  of  the  children  have  to  put  away  the 
clothes  of  the  other  children,  after  they  have 
been  washed.  Although  they  can  not  see,  they 
never  make  a  mistake  in  putting  each  one's 
clothes  into  the  drawers  where  they  belong. 

10.  Now  these  blind  children  are  very  happy 
at  the  asylum,  because  they  always  have  some- 
thing to  do,  which  they  know  how  to  do. 
Other  blind  children,  who  have  never  been 
taught  to  be  useful,  are  not  as  happy  as  those 
at  the  asylum,  who  always  have  some  one 
about  them  to  amuse  them,  and  to  teach  them 
what  to  do,  and  how  to  do  it. 


LAUEA    BEIDGMAN.  205 


LESSON     LXVII. 

Describe',togiveanaccountof  j  Breeze,  a  light  wind. 
In'  dus  try,  steady  attention  i  In  tel'  li  gent,  well  informed ; 
to  business.  I      knowing. 

LAURA    BRIDGMAN. 

A  MONG-  the  cMldren  wlio  were  sent  to  the 
-^-^  blind  asylum,  that  was  described  in  the 
last  lesson,  was  one  very  unfortunate  little  girl, 
whose  name  is  Laura  Bridgman. 

2.  This  little  girl  was  sent  there  when  she 
was  very  young,  and  she  was  the  most  unfortu- 
nate little  child  that  I  ever  heard  of. 

3.  She  was  not  only  blind,  but  she  was  also 
deaf  and  dumb.  Deaf  persons  are  those  who 
can  not  hear,  and  dumb  persons  are  those  who 
can  not  speak. 

4.  Some  persons  are  only  slightly  deaf,  and 
can  hear  when  loud  noises  are  made  ;  and  some 
can  hear  only  when  the  noises  are  very  loud. 
But  poor  little  Laura  could  not  hear  a  sound, 
whether  loud  or  not. 

6.  She  could  see  nothing.  She  could  hear 
nothing.  She  could  not  speak  a  word.  Now 
what  could  this  poor  little  unfortunate  creature 
do  ?  She  could  feel,  she  could  smell,  and  she 
could  taste,  and  that  was  all  that  she  could  do. 


r^ 


206  NATIOISTAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


until  she  came  to  tlie  blind  asylum.     There  she 
was  taught  to  read,  to  write  and  to  spell. 

6.  Does  it  not  seem  strange  to  you  that  she 
could  read,  though  she  could  not  see  a  letter, 
hear  a  sound,  nor  speak  a  word  ?  She  does 
not  speak  when  she  reads,  but  she  speUs  with 
her  fingers,  and  she  can  tell  with  her  fingers 
what  she  reads. 

7.  When  she  reads,  she  takes  hold  of  some 
one's  hand,  and  makes  motions  with  her  fin- 
gers, which  are  understood  by  the  person 
whose  hand  she  holds.  She  reads  the  same 
Idnd  of  books  that  oljier  blind  persons  read, 
with  raised  letters. 

8.  But  she  has  now  learned  to  read  and 
wi'ite  herself,  and  has  grown  up  to  be  quite  an 
intelligent  woman ;  although,  when  she  first 
went  to  the  blind  asy'  lum,  she  knew  but  little 
more  than  a  young  kitten,  or  a  little  puppy. 

9.  'Now  if  a  little  girl,  who  was  deaf,  dumb, 
and  blind,  has  learned  so  much  by  attention 
and  in'  dustry,  how  much  ought  other  children 
to  do,  who  can  see,  hear,  and  speak ! 

10.  You  can  not  be  too  thankful  to  your  good 
and  great  Creator,  who  has  given  you  the  use  of 
all  your  senses,  seeing,  hearing,  feeling,  smelling, 
and  tasting. 


SUBTOPICS    AliTD    ATOPICS.  207 

11.  Think,  for  a  moment,  of  how  much  poor 
Laura  is  deprived.  She  can  not  hear  sweet 
music.  She  can  not  talk  in  words  to  her 
friends.  She  can  not  see  beautiful  pictures, 
nor  enjoy  the  pleasant  sight  of  the  country, 
and  the  green  grass,  and  trees,  and  flowers,  as 
you  can.  But  she  can  smeU  the  sweet  flowers, 
and  enjoy  the  sweet  breeze  of  summer,  and 
thank  her  friends  and  her  G5d  for  what  she 
has  learnt. 


EXERCISE    IN    A'RTICULATION. 

BTJB-TONIC  AND  A-TONIC  COMBINATIONS. 

cr^  as  in  crape,      crave,       craze,     crank,  crash ; 

"     creak,     cream,      creek,    creep,  crook, 

yr,      "     /rail,      /rame,     /reak,   /ree,  /reeze ; 

"    yViend,  /rest,       /"roth,    /rown,  /ruit. 

jpT,     "     jyride,     ^rize,       ^rint,    j^rince,  j^raise ; 

"     ^rank,  prompt,    ^rone,  ^roof,  ^j>roud. 

^r,       "     ^race,      ^?'ain,        ^rail,      j^rade,  ^ramp ; 

"     ^reat,       ^read,       2^rice,      ^rick,  ^rill. 


LESSON     LXVII    . 

Bank  (b&ngk),  a  place  for  keep- 1  Pris  on  (priz'  zn),  a  jail ;  a  place 
ing  and  paying  out  money.       |      of  confinement  for  persons. 


208  NATIOlfAL    SECOND    EEADER. 


MISCHIEF. 

MR.  EDWARD  read  in  Ms  paper,  one  even- 
ing, the  story  of  a  very  bad  man  whose 
name  was  Oakes. 

2.  This  bad  man  stole  a  trunk,  that  had  a 
great  deal  of  money  in  it;  but  he  was  soon 
found  out  in  his  theft.  The  money  was  sent  to 
the  bank,  and  Oakes  went  to  the  Tombs. 

3.  "Do  you  mean,  by  that,  that  they  hung 
him  f  said  his  little  daughter  Minnie. 

4.  "Oh  no!"  replied  Mr.  Edward.  "The 
*  Tombs'  is  a  great  stone  prison  in  New  York, 
where  they  shut  up  fighters  and  thieves.  It  is 
such  a  gloomy-looking  place,  that  they  call  it 
the  ^ Tombs.'" 

5.  "Well,"  said  Minnie,  drawing  a  15ng 
breath,  "  I  think  he  ought  to  be  sent  to  prison 
for  stealing  the  trunk.  I  dare  say  it  was  the 
worst  kind  of  mischief  he  could  do." 

6.  "I  am  not  so  sure  of  that,"  said  Mr.  Ed- 
ward. "  He  did  not  wish  to  do  the  man,  who 
owned  the  trunk,  any  harm.  There  was  no 
malice  in  his  mind  against  anybody.  He  want- 
ed some  money  for  himself,  and  if  he  could 
have  got  it  without  taking  it  from  anybody 
else,  I  suppose  he  would  have  done  so." 


MISCHIEF.  209 


7.  "But,  Minnie,  when  Jolm  Rough  met  you 
coming  home  from  school  last  winter,  and 
seized  your  "bonnet  and  shawl  and  ran  off  with 
them,  that  was  malicious  mischief.  He  did  not 
want  the  bonnet  and  shawl ;  "but  he  wished  you 
evil,  and  he  did  this  trick  on  purpose  to  injure 
you. 

8.  "  Now,  when  mischief  is  done  on  purpose 
to  injure  others,  it  is  called  malicious  mischief ; 
and  it  is  much  worse  than  that  which  is  done 
for  the  sake  of  getting  something  that  is  need- 
ed for  one's  seK." 

9.  "I  think  so,  too,"  said  Minnie. 


LESSON     LXIX 


Wade,  to  walk  through  water. 
An  kle  (^ng' kl),  the  joint  be- 
tween the  leg  and  the  foot. 


Kneel'  ing,  bending  the  knee. 
Purpose   (p^r'pos),  that  for 
which  any  thing  is  done. 


MISCHIEF  — Concluded. 

"■T3ENJAMI]Sr  FEAISTKLIN  did  some  mis- 
-'--'  chief  once,"  said  Mr.  Edward,  ''when  he 
was  a  boy,  but  it  was  not  malicious  mischief. 

2.  ''When  Franklin  lived  in  B5ston,  there 
was  a  pond  on  one  side  of  the  town,  at  a  place 
which  has  long  since  been  filled  up,  and  which 
is  now  covered  with  streets  and  houses. 


210 


NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 


3.  ''  The  boys  used  to  go  to  tMs  pond  to  fisli. 
The  shores  of  the  pond  were  quite  low,  and  at 
the  place  where  the  boys  used  to  stand,  it  be- 
came very  wet  and  muddy.  To  keep  out  of 
the  mud  and  water,  the  boys  built  a  pier,  or 
wharf,  to  stand  upon." 

4.  Here  is  a  picture  of  Franklin  and  the 
other  boys,  building  the  pier,   or  little  wharf. 


The  boy  you  see  kneeling  on  the  pier  is  Frank- 
lin himself.  He  has  charge  of  the  work.  The 
other  boys  are  bringing  stones. 

5.  There  are  four  boys  helping  Mm.  They 
have  their  clothes  turned  up  to  keep  them  from 
getting  wet,   for,   in  bringing  the  stones,  they 


MISCHIEF.  211 


have  to  wade  in  the  water.  One  of  the  Iboys 
is  above  his  ankles  in  the  water,  and  is  bring- 
ing a  stone  as  large  as  he  can  lift. 

6.  There  is  one  stone,  that  they  are  bring- 
ing, which  is  too  large  for  one  boy  to  lift,  and 
two  have  taken  it  between  them.  There  is  a 
boy  with  a  strange  cap  upon  his  head,  who  is 
calling  to  the  two  boys  who  have  the  big  stone 
in  their  hands,  to  bring  it  ronnd  to  his  side  of 
the  pier. 

7.  '^I  don't  see  what  harm  there  was,  in 
making  a  pier  like  that,"  said  Minnie. 

8.  ''The  harm  was  in  the  manner  in  which 
they  got  the  stones,"  said  her  father.  "There 
were  no  stones  to  be  found  about  the  ground, 
where  the  pier  was  to  be  built,  and  the  boys 
went  a  little  way  off  where  some  had  been  left, 
to  build  a  house  with ;  and,  when  the  work- 
men had  gone  to  dinner,  they  took  these  stones 
and  carried  them  down  to  their  pier." 

9.  ''  Yes,"  said  Minnie,  •"  that  was  mischief." 

10.  ''Yes,  it  was  mischief,"  said  Mr.  Edward, 
"but  it  was  not  malicious  mischief.  The  boys 
did  not  wish  to  do  the  workmen  any  harm. 
All  they  wished  was  to  get  a  pier  for  them- 
selves. 

11.  "Now,  if  those  boys  had  not  wished  to 


212 


NATIOI!TAL    SECOND    EEADER. 


"build  a  pier,  but  liad  taken  the  stones  and 
thrown  them  into  the  pond,  for  the  sake  of  in- 
juring the  workmen,  that  would  have  been  ma- 
licious mischief,  and  would  have  been  worse 
than  taking  the  stones  for  a  useful  purpose." 


LESSON     LXX 


Reign  (rS,n),  to  rule  as  king. 
Pi'  OUS,  having  love  to  God. 
Se  rene',  quiet ;  calm. 
Rev'erence,     fear    mingled 
with,  respect  and  love. 


Earn'  est  ly,  eagerly. 
Se  rious,  sober;  solemn. 
Dis  gov'  ered,  found  out. 
Devo'tions, prayers;  worship. 
Mis'  er  a  ble,  wretched. 


KING    EDWARD    AND    HIS    BIBLE. 

I  WILL  tell  you  a  little  story  about  a  young 
and  good  king.  He  was  king  of  England 
more  than  two  hundred  and  eighty  years  ago. 
His  name  was  Edward,  and,  because  there  had 
been  five  kings  before  liim  of  the  name  of  Ed- 
ward, he  was  called  Edward  the  Sixth. 

2.  He  was  only  nine  years  old  when  he  be- 
gan to  reign.  He  was  early  taught  to  be 
good,  by  pious  teachers,  and  he  loved  to  do 
what  they  told  him  would  please  God.  He 
had  a  great  reverence  for  the  Bible,  which  he 
knew  contained  the  words  of  his  Father  in 
heavcxi. 


KIj^G    EDWAED    AND    HIS  BIBLE.  213 

3.  Once,  when  quite  young,  lie  was  playing 
with  some  children  about  his  own  age.  Wish- 
ing much  to  reach  something  which  was  above 
his  head,  they  laid  a  large  thick  book  in  a  chair, 
for  him  to  step  on.  Just  as  he  was  putting  his 
foot  upon  it,  he  discoyered  it  to  be  the  Bible. 


4.  Drawing  back,  he  took  it  in  his  arms,  kissed 
it,  and  returned  it  to  its  place.  Turning  to  his 
little  playmates,  he  said,  with  a  serious  face, 
"  Shall  I  dare  to  tread  under  my  feet  that  which 
God  has  commanded  me  to  keep  in  my  heart?" 

5.  This  pious  king  never  forgot  his  prayers. 
Though  the  people  with  whom  he  lived  were 
ever  anxious  to  amuse  him,  and  show  him  some 
new  thing,  they  never  could  induce  him  to 
omit  his  daily  devotions. 


214  ]S"ATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEK. 

6.  One  day  he  heard  that  one  of  his  teachers 
was  sick.  Immediately,  he  retired  to  pray  for 
him.  Coming  from  his  prayers,  he  said,  with 
a  cheerful  countenance,  "  I  think  there  is  hope 
that  he  will  recover.  I  have  this  morning 
earnestly  hegged  of  God  to  spare  him  to  us." 

7.  God  did  spare  the  teacher's  life.  After 
he  became  well,  he  was  told  of  this ;  and  he 
very  much  loved  the  young  king,  for  remem- 
bering him  in  his  prayers. 

8.  Edward  the  Sixth  died  when  he  was  six- 
teen years  old.  He  was  beloved  by  all,  for  his 
goodness  and  piety.  His  mind-  was  calm  and 
serene  in  his  sickness. 

9.  If  you  are  not  tired  of  my  story,  I  will  tell 
you  part  of  a  prayer  which  he  used  5ften  to 
say,  when  on  his  dying  bed. 

10.  ^'Mj  Lord  God,  if  thou  wilt  deliver  me 
from  this  miserable  life,  take  me  among  thy 
chosen.  Yet  not  my  will,  but  thy  will,  be 
done.  Lord,  I  commit  my  spirit  unto  thee. 
Thou  knowest  how  happy  it  were  for  me  to  be 
with  thee.  Yet,  if  thou  shouldst  send  me  life 
and  health,  grant  that  I  may  truly  serve  thee." 

11.  Children,  you  should  do  like  King  Ed- 
ward, reverence  your  Bible,  and  love  to  pray 
to  God. 


THE  CHILD  AND  THE  SKEPTIC. 


215 


LESSON     LXXI 


Conned,  studied. 
Mused,  thouglit  over ;  studied. 
Draught,  any  thing  drank. 
Live  long  (11  v'  16ng),  long  in 

passing. 
Skep'  tic,  one  who  doubts  the 

truth  of  the  Bible. 


Anon',  again  and  again. 

Pon'  der  ing,  thinking  over. 

Chat'  ted,  conversed  pleasantly. 

Wei'  come,  acceptable ;  pleas- 
ing. 

Trav'eler,  one  who  passes 
from  place  to  place. 

THE    CHILD    AND    THE    SKEPTIC. 

A     LITTLE  girl  was  sitting  beside  a  cottage- 
-^-^    door,  . 
And  with  tlie  Bible  on  her  knee,  she  conned  its 

pages  o'er. 
When  by  there  passed  a  traveler,  that  sultry 

summer-day. 
And  begged  some  water,  and  a  seat,  to  cheer 

him  on  his  way. 


216  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

2.  '^Come  in,  sir,  pray,  and  rest  awhile,"  the 

little  maiden  cried ; 

"To  house  a  weary  traveler  is  mother's  joy 
and  pride." 

And  while  he  drank  the  welcome  draught, 
and  chatted  merrily, 

She  sought  again  the  cottage-door,  the  Bi- 
ble on  her  knee. 

3.  At  length  refreshed,  the  traveler,  a  skeptic 

he,  uprose : 
"What,  reading  still  the  Bible,  child?  your 

lesson,  I  suppose." 
"No  lesson,  sir,"  the  girl  replied,  "I  have 

no  task  to  learn.; 
But  often  to  these  stories  here  with  joy  and 

love  I  turn.' 

4.  "  And  wherefore  do  you  love  that  book,  my 

little  maid,  I  pray. 
And  turn  its  pages  o'er  and  o'er  the  live-long 

summer-day  f 
"Why  love  the  Bible,  did  you ^ ask? — ^how 

angry,  sir,  you  look  ! 
I  thought  that  everybody  loved   this   holy, 

precious  book." 

5.  The  skeptic    smiled,    made   no    reply,   and 

pondering,  traveled  on, 


—                   -      , 

SUBTOPICS    AND    ATONICS. 

217 

But  in  Ms  mind  her  answer  still  rose  ever 

and  anon : 

"I  thought  all  loved  the  holy  book" 

—it  was 

a  strange  reply ; 

"Why  do  not  I  then  love  it  too?-' 

he  whis- 

pered  with  a  sigh. 

6.  He  mused,  resolved,  examined,  prayed ;  he 

looked  within,  above  ; 

He    read,  acknowledged  it^   the  truth,   and 

worshiped  Him^  the  love. 

A  nobler  life  from  that  same  hour  the  skep-    | 

tic  proud  began, 

And  lived  and  labored  may  a  year 

a  Bible- 

loving  man. 

EXERCISE    IN    ARTICULATION. 

BtTB-TONIO  AND  A-TONIC  COMBINATIONS. 

sm^  as  in  ^mack,     «???.ash,   smoxi,      ^mall. 

sm  ell ; 

"      5?7iile,       5mite,     ^mith,      S7n6k.e^ 

smooth. 

sn,       "      snsiil,        sneike,    ^^atch,     ^narl, 

sneak ; 

"      sneeze,     snow,     snore,      snwS, 

snug. 

sir,      "      strsiiglit,  strain,    strange,  strand, 

stra-p ; 

"      stream,    street,    stride,      strife, 

struck. 

sw,      "      swaj,       swear,    swarm,    sweeip, 

sweet ; 

"      swine,      swift,     swing,     svAtch, 

swoon. 

- -  -  --  -               ■• 

218 


NATIONAL    SECOND    READER. 


,'   V^Z-J." 


LESSON     LXXII. 

WINTER, 

iXlone.        (^TooTi  -^n^  dTtcta  ^eco?tt€d  ^cn,e^  a^ic/  fa^^  -^ucok. 

^.  C^^ui>  a^ie'i,  n^ui,  ^cz^ded,  anc/  -^/le  a-i^auid  en,  //^ 
'meuc/ota  cd  dec/.  Q/ne  c/ooia^A  cd  ccuelec/  ti^cln.  a 
do/^  'mal^  of   tanc^.       o/da  M,oto-n,  loof   of  -^nc  oa^?t  cd 


WINTER.  219 


c/e?t  ■ti^eti'  ^e-n<z  u.?ic/ei'  -^Ue  tuecant  o/  -tue  lo^c/zte't  d?la^t^. 
S.    o/Zie  noi^e^  ale   c?t    ^de    tt^<xl7?t  <^^^^.        (Q^^;^ 

^'/le  ttzmo^  adT^wo/^  a/€ei>  ■^ueT^i,  o/Ae  ot<z    n^u<Xe-(Zoa. 

■?n(Z'icn,ed'  du'^zu-^  ■^£louan>  ^%<?  ii^/^i<Z'?zae  co-zf^eicntX'  oJ^  eai/^n'. 

and  (^eenJ  n-c'd-  aly  ^ea  en  -tne  AenneC 

/^.     Q/n    a    ^etu-     aayd    ^ne    co/a     ^t^ea^uei>  d^/a^  en, 
o/ne  aei>  ed-  n^en  a-na    jfiod^'y.        o/de  to^^ie^e  ^lea^n,  o/ 
taen'^ei>  ed  on    ■^ne    ^ae?^ao^a-ylane^.        o/ne  ()dal^  9tol-t/Z' 
to^na     O^c^eii-  ■uoul  eald,    youl  'ncki^e,  ana     ^uocel  ^enaeid/ 
ana  a^?nod^   cne/ui-   youl  ^u>oa.  G/ne  tc^a^ei,  ^  ^ne 

^loon^  ed  ^loTi^en  nala,  ana  -m^e  ^^n,ad  a^a  lev^i^  a^e 
ccMuelea  zuctd  'tdccn^  ece. 

^.  Q/n  ^^feadan^'  taea^nel,  yoti-  u^if^ea  ^o  te^anc/ei,  en 
^n^  ■f^etad  ana  'tne  to<>oad-,  ana  'U/ele  -temyi^^a  /o  yiuz'U 
■tue  ■^iuan-^ ;  o^u^  -noto-,  'uotf^  ale  auz^a  -to  aa  -^o  dcuoot. 
G^Ld  "iioa  -neal  ■^ue  ^celce  tac?tad  v^u^ta,  ajza,  ^i?on^c?t^ 
ou^  Ojf-  -tn^e  tacnaota,  dee  ■^ue  dnaw-  /^y,  ■^n^e  ■^nouan,^  oJ^ 
^/le  cota  a/znod^  'man.e  youl  ■^ee^n'  cna^^el.  ^C^ou 
^ean  cneel/<i/^^  ot^ei,  youl  ^aon>  a?za  ^al7t  'uotcl  ■^adn,. 


^.       Trden     ^/a^^wiaa'U  co9?zed,     e^  you     na^e   ^t 


a/ue   (Aeen 


220  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADER. 

tac^  atiu>u/-     yotc     ^     c&a^^    tac^/l     •uowl     yluz?J77^c^'^eii■. 
cii'Cizo^  youi'   (X-^d^  uA  -to-  ^ue  -^^  ^r  '^  n^can,  nc^, 
■tn^e  ^cetci,  a-Ttco  'tn.eTZ  J^^ai^  -fuem,  (Zt^  a^  otice,   to  iiee 

■tue  uzl^e  ^oyJ-  <)na^e.        (SzCoto-  d^7n,oot/v    cmcC  ^Uan,^  -tne 


tee  cd  /  (^yCoto-  ifcKi^  -t/iey  a-o-  07t  -tuec-i,  (Xn.<z/ed  / 
&u>9jze  ^oyd  dna-te  ^ucn^zaai^ci,  dome  du^c/e  a,  alea^  c/cd- 
■^nce  o?t  one  dn^ci-^,  cz7zcC  O'tneid  cti^t  ^tteid  utzc/  ■fta^tcled 
07t  tue  tee. 

cT.  ^^ou  (Z^tc/  youi,  /c/^^M^  dcd^'i,  'tcc/e  to  totaTt  tt^ctu 
youi,  Auientd,  c?^  t/ie  d^cyn.  o/n^  d^cau  du/id 
do  dTTtootnm^  o^^^i,  tue  dfzoto  t/iat  ct  97iU'Ued^  ?io  7iocde. 
o/ne  ^e^  tc-nn^^  ■7?iei^'U/u,  utzc/  you  ale  do  ^^eiy 
n^A^^,    ttuzt^    yocc    cio?t't    OTtce    tucTin,     o^  -t^    cotcC 

(ZCi'. 


^.  Cy?^  a  tut?itel'd  9tca^t,  you  -une  to  d('t  uA 
cznc/  tieui,  ^^ada9?t  dtoiced.  (2/o9ne^9ne<i^  V^^^  -leeic/ 
u  -tcm^  tAoon,  oi^  dtu(zy  //^  ^sddoTz^  yowi,  teacnel  aave 
to  you.  (27n^7t  you  n^z^e  ■ncce  uyitf/ed  anc/  nutd  to 
ea^.  ^^ou  t/ilozo-  tne  dnetu^  o/  tne  7iutd  cnto  t/ie 
^<^e,  (znu    ad    you  dc't  u^atcuina,    ttie    dti^?tae  dua/ied 


THE    CHILDEEI^    AT    THE    OAK. 


221 


aJ^e/i,     i,?t 


LESSON     LXXIII 


THE    CHILDREN    AT    THE   OAK. 
/.     ..£^e7te<z^n>  an  ou:^  oan'd-  "^^/y  ^n^fz^ae. 


222  NATIONAL    SECOND    EEADEE. 

^.     Gl/o-  u-o^n^t  czTzc/  aci-uO'  ■^/ie7j^  taeii-^ 
/Fcl^n^  eacn,  cz  ^efZ9?zc?i(X  /ace, 

Qyvi^'i^??^  ^czcU'  (Z?tci  'lao'/t  c/^  ^i^uzce. 
^.    Gi/Ue  -fcozaeid  -^n^eu'cC  yitucn^cC  czna  ca4.icec/ -^ue'i 

G^92(Z  d^i^dc^  -^n^c-i,  oaoi^  o?^  -^ue  ati., 

4^,     Q^  i^u/tc/  -^ue  ■^'i.ee  -^/ie-u  i^?t  cine/  ^ci/i^, 
Gy/iode  Mczc/iXa9?ze  tc-^-^/&  /o9M 

<^.        7/%e/t  aou^?i  -tUey  da^  ■^o  cou?z^  ^uetn,  a' el, 
.^^/^eTzeu'tu  -tUoJ-e  /iancn^ed-  /c^n^, 
q7u(Z-^  a7zce  t/te  ^ile^^u  Auzy^ucfza^  /cfle, 
(3^fh  aa.ec/  '/^la^t  c/i'ezv-  9?/^/. 

u.     C^^U^  nuc^  to^a^  ta/t^e  /     n.cJ'  eye  ti^aJ^  c/c?n  / 


9fzac 


(2>^  au>to-  /^cd  taay  n^e 

G€?ic/  /ec/  Ae^TZ  /^  -^/e  ddac/e. 
/.       /Pyie?t,  /lacec/  ayacm^^  -^Ue  ■/ci,7?z  o//  oan, 

&V91C/  /ocnec/  '^neci>  cncu/(^n>  uzuan^. 


THE    CHILDEElSr    AT    THE    OAK.  223 

'o/io-c/t  Aeei.  -fi^Tn,  ou^  -^ue  ccm. 
G>tih  acoi.7h  /ho^fz  -^Ae  /ole^^  tacuz 


/J'.     "■     7yn-ert,  ^ee^c^ty'  u^e'^  iXtu^/^  yeczid-  toele  dAen^, 

Cg^tS  czd/lec/  ■^a  Acitte  nc^  ■?7zo?ta,77te7it 
Qy/ie  can,  ne  yiuz?z-^cC  /tei^. 


224  NATIONAL    SECOND    READEE. 


//^,     Q/ue  dyiean-ci,  cecz^eco  /    touen^,   o^uccn^  (Z7ta^  'fnu^. 


THE    END. 


YB  36817 


M69862 


1H 


EDU^ 
DEPT, 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


EEADEES  MJ)  SPELLERS. 


BY  E.  G.  PAEKEE  AKD  J.  MADISON  WATSON. 


THE    NATIONAL    SCHOOL    PRIMER;     Or.    PRIMARY 

V70RD  BUILDER.    64  pages,  16mo. 
THE  NATIOiVAL  FIRST  DEADER;  Or,  WORD-BUILDER. 

318  pagss.  16rao. 
THE  NATIONAL  SECOND  READER.    224  pages,  I6mo. 
THE  NATIONAL  TL.(   ID  READEB.    28S  pages,  12mo. 
THE  NATIONAL  PO'JiiTE  READER.    432  pagsa,  12mo. 
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by  notes:  in  the  extent  anl  qu  uity  of  the  Selections  for  Rending  and  Declama- 
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